Bellevue, Washington - It's not just a handheld gaming device. Valve is pitching the Steam Deck as a handheld PC synced to the cloud. Completely customizable, gamers can download any OS, connect all the peripherals they want, and will be able to play games from other game stores!

Nintendo's Switch suddenly looks very much like a brightly colored children's toy after Valve's announcement of the Steam Deck.

But the release – slated for December this year – probably isn't an attempt to take over the handheld market monopolized by Nintendo.

No, with the ability to load a full computer OS, seamlessly handover a game to PC for continued play, and even install other game stores like Epic Games, this device is going head-to-head with the big consoles from Sony and Microsoft.

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Compatibility with third party stores is pretty revolutionary at a time when companies like Apple are duking it out in the courtroom with Epic Games just to keep other companies off their platform.

As Wired reports, Deck owners will even be able to play anything from the Xbox store, so why bother with a dedicated, bulky console? Plus, the ability to add expanded memory is something a PS5 still can't offer. Want to add a specific piece of computer software? Done. Netflix? Sure, just add any browser you want.

If Valve can actually pull off the hardware this time – their previous forays weren't entirely successful – the Steam Deck could even affect computer sales for those who don't have the need for a custom-built gaming rig.

After all, it's got Ethernet connectivity, USB-C docking ability for keyboard, mouse, and monitor, though it's unclear if the Deck can support multi-monitor output or what that output resolution would be given that the handheld itself is just running at 720p resolution.

The device will have a 7-inch LCD touchscreen, as well as the manual controls, and gyroscopic activation for aiming ability not available on a standard PC or console.

Dual trackpads aren't new for those who have experienced the failed Steam Controller, but Valve promises the trackpads have been greatly improved in the meantime.

Another sideswipe at Xbox is the inclusion of four customizable rear buttons, a signature of Microsoft's Xbox Elite gaming controllers.

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However, the reviewers at IGN believe that Microsoft may decide to ride the coattails of Valve's likely success and make concessions to allow their games to be even more compatible with the new device. This would make sense, given that Microsoft doesn't make a profit off of their proprietary consoles at all, but on the games themselves.

The reviewers also revealed that during their time running tests at Valve, the company said it doesn't mind if Deck users completely wipe the provided OS and download Windows instead. Customization is king, right?

The device will come in three storage capacities with the same processing speed across all three. It will attribute its faster load times to SSD storage at 64, 256, and 512 GB of memory respectively, but the higher two will be NVMe drives which run even faster than standard SSD. And, as mentioned before, even with higher storage you'll need the dedicated microSD slot as some games are larger than the available SSD space. The 16 GBs of RAM should handle the beefier games without too many problems.

The seven to eight hours of playtime touted sounds impressive when the little machine manages to sport 1.6 teraflops of GPU performance, which pegs it just above the Xbox One and the PS4.