Valve says that it has no plans to launch Steam Deck exclusive titles
The Steam Deck is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated pieces of hardware to arrive in 2022. However, brand-name recognition will only get it so far before it gets overshadowed by offerings from the likes of GPD and Aya. Valve could get around this by making some Steam Deck exclusives, but that doesn't seem to be the case, according to a developer-centric FAQ section on the Steam website.
Valve's approach towards its first-ever handheld console is quite interesting, given that its main competitor, the Nintendo Switch, relies on exclusive titles. Then again, Valve considers the Steam Deck to be a portable PC that one can lug around and wants to treat it as such. Whether or not the move will come to haunt Valve in the future remains to be seen. Then again, launching an exclusive title for what is effectively an AMD Ryzen machine is a tad counterproductive. Even the VR-only Half-Life: Alyx is now playable with a keyboard and a mouse, so porting over any Steam Deck exclusive to regular PCs should be relatively easier.
It seems that Valve has put all of its eggs in the proverbial Steam Deck basket. We learned earlier that several people working on Half-Life 3 had abandoned ship to work on the handheld console. The company hasn't had the most success with hardware releases (remember the Steam Machine/Steam Controller?), and the Steam Deck runs the risk of going down that path. There is, however, a glimmer of hope in the form of 'Citadel', a Half-Life/Left4Dead hybrid co-op ARPG that is reportedly tailor-made for the console.
