If you're having trouble getting your hands on a Steam Deck, Chinese tech company GPD has a rather strange solution.
It's called the GPD Win Max 2 (opens in a new tab) and it's a miniature laptop that doubles as a handheld game console. Resembling an oversized Nintendo DS, the Win Max 2 features physical game controls above its keyboard with two analog sticks, a directional pad, and four face buttons. There are two pairs of side buttons, plus an additional programmable pair on the back. It even has a six-axis gyroscope for motion control and a vibration motor.
Really, the GPD Win Max 2 is a strange hybrid of recent gaming features. The only thing missing is a touch screen.
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Unlike the Steam Deck, GPD wants its new device to function like a work laptop. For starters, the Win Max 2 comes with two magnetic covers that can be placed over the integrated controllers to hide them away from your boss. And there's a built-in 2MP camera with a wide-angle view for video conferencing.
On top of that, the computer has some pretty powerful hardware. You will have the choice between two models depending on the processor/graphics card pair you choose.
The first model has an AMD Ryzen 7 6800U processor associated with an AMD Radeon 680M RDNA2 graphics card. The 6800U is made up of eight cores with 16 threads and has a maximum clock speed of 4,7 Ghz. GPD claims that the 680M GPU allows Win Max 2 to run some games at "around 40-60 FPS at 1920x1200 resolution". The full list of games that work with this quality is unknown, but the company reveals 12, including Elden Ring and Valorant.
The other combination is a 7th Gen Intel Core i1260-12P processor with Iris Xe GPU. It has four performance cores and eight efficient cores with 16 threads in total. According to GPD's own numbers, the Intel model slightly outperforms the AMD model. However, the maximum clock speed is the same as that of the AMD processor.
Apart from the performance differences, both laptops share the same features. You can choose between a 1TB or 2TB SSD with SD and microSD card readers. For RAM, you can choose between 16 GB and 32 GB. And all that power is displayed on a 10,1-inch screen that has a maximum resolution of 2560x1600, far surpassing Steam Deck's 1280x800 display.
GPD claims that its 67 Wh battery provides power for up to "five hours of continuous gameplay." If you are just doing office work, the battery life can go up to 14 hours. Fast charging is available, giving two hours of battery life in about five minutes. And for high temperatures, the WIn Max 2 has a large fan with dual heat pipes to keep everything cool.
Analysis: small but expensive
Admittedly, this is a pretty good device, but we doubt it's a "Steam Deck killer." Laying flat, the Win Max 2 measures 160mm long and 227mm wide (about 6,2 inches by 9 inches). Considering its size, the computer seems to work well as a portable gaming device. For work, it's probably too small and cramped to wear comfortably.
Although there is no official price for Win Max 2, it is probably not cheaper than Steam Deck. The GPD Win Max 2 is on IndieGoGo (Opens in a new tab) for a fundraising campaign where the developers are looking to reach a goal of €20,000. According to the official GPD Twitter account (opens in a new tab), the campaign will launch on July 7 at 6:00 am EST.
There are several packages available, the highest one costs €1299. If you pledge that amount, you'll get a Win Max 2 that comes with the AMD processor, 2TB of storage, and 32GB of RAM. The cheapest is €899, which has the same AMD processor, but with 128GB of storage and 16GB of RAM. The estimated shipping date is set for September 2022.
If you're one of the lucky few who owns a Steam Deck, we recommend checking out our list of the best games on the console.