Steam Deck Prototype Disassembly Reveals $3,000 Prototype with Discrete GPU Support, Compact Joysticks, and Circular Touchpads

Well, let me tell you, there’s this wild story about a guy who got his paws on a Steam Deck prototype way before anyone else — like espionage-level early. So, this YouTube guy, Jon Bringus — yeah, I’d never heard of him either until now, but hey, he’s apparently the go-to dude for this kinda stuff — gets handed this precious piece of tech history by some Twitter (well, X now, but I kinda refuse to call it that) user named SadlyItsDadley. Why Dadley picked him is anyone’s guess. Maybe a gut feeling.

Anyways, Jon goes and does the thing we all secretly love but fear: he tears it apart on camera. Literally. It’s like watching a surgeon at work but… with more plastic and wires. And there it was, inside, a mysterious note that said something like “POC2-34 Control 163.” Sounds like spy code, right? Proof-of-concept number 34, and this guy has it. I mean, it doesn’t get cooler than that if you’re a tech nerd.

The unit looks super weird — not in a “take it to the prom” way, more like “what alien tech is this?” The touchpads are circular blobs, unlike the sleek rectangles we’re used to seeing. And those joysticks? It’s like someone didn’t get the memo on size. They’re tiny! Plus, it’s got this AMD Ryzen something-or-other, and he even found discrete GPU support. Not that Jon could check it — bummer.

Oh, and the piece de resistance? Jon cloned the SSD, and bam, inside it was an OG SteamOS from, wait for it, September 2020. Talk about a blast from the past. It had accounts pre-set or something, one even named ‘34’ which is just mysterious yet oddly satisfying.

Let’s be real though, what really blows my mind isn’t just this prototype. It’s how unexpectedly the Steam Deck stirred things up! Remember when Nintendo was the big kid on the block with the Switch? Now, everyone and their grandma’s chasing the dream of gaming on the go. Asus, Lenovo, MSI, the whole shebang — they practically tripped over each other to get in the game because of this little gadget.

So, if you wanna keep tabs on this wacky, wonderful world of tech, maybe follow Tom’s Hardware on Google News or something. They’re the ones spilling all the tech-beans. But honestly, who knows what these companies will cook up next? Exciting times, my friends. Exciting times.