Banks Consider $38 Billion Funding Boost for Oracle, Vantage, and OpenAI Expansion 
Morgan Stanley Boosts Nvidia and Broadcom Targets as AI Demand Surges 
ByteDance Unveils New AI Voice Assistant for ZTE Smartphones 
Apple Appoints Amar Subramanya as New Vice President of AI Amid Push to Accelerate Innovation 
Apple Alerts EU Regulators That Apple Ads and Maps Meet DMA Gatekeeper Thresholds 
Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman 
TSMC Accuses Former Executive of Leaking Trade Secrets as Taiwan Prosecutors Launch Investigation 
Anthropic Reportedly Taps Wilson Sonsini as It Prepares for a Potential 2026 IPO 
Coupang Apologizes After Massive Data Breach Affecting 33.7 Million Users 
Baidu Cuts Jobs as AI Competition and Ad Revenue Slump Intensify 
Norway’s Wealth Fund Backs Shareholder Push for Microsoft Human-Rights Risk Report 
Australia Moves Forward With Teen Social Media Ban as Platforms Begin Lockouts 
Taiwan Opposition Criticizes Plan to Block Chinese App Rednote Over Security Concerns 
OpenAI Moves to Acquire Neptune as It Expands AI Training Capabilities 
Nexperia Urges China Division to Resume Chip Production as Supply Risks Mount 
Hikvision Challenges FCC Rule Tightening Restrictions on Chinese Telecom Equipment 
Quantum Systems Projects Revenue Surge as It Eyes IPO or Private Sale 
Valve is reportedly taking another major shot at selling a hardware product. The hardware under development will still focus on PC games, except it is designed to be used on the go like Nintendo Switch.
SteamDB creator Pavel Djundik shared his observations on the Steam client beta on Tuesday. The developer noticed that an update once again contained references to a device named “Neptune,” which was first spotted last September. This time, however, “NeptuneName” has been attached to another unknown item called “SteamPal” and “SteamPal Games.”
Valve's "Neptune" controller shows up in latest Steam client beta again.
— Pavel Djundik (@thexpaw) May 25, 2021
It's named "SteamPal" (NeptuneName) and it has a "SteamPal Games" (GameList_View_NeptuneGames)
The following day, a report from Ars Technica cited “multiple sources” have confirmed that Valve has been developing the device called SteamPal for some time. It is described as a portable gaming device that would look like the Nintendo Switch. But based on the information available, the product could run on Linux. That means Proton and Steam Play will come in handy once the device is out in the market.
The same report noted that SteamPal is still in the prototype stage, which means Valve has yet to finalize its technical specifications. But Ars Technica’s sources have provided some information on how the handheld PC gaming hardware would look like.
It is not expected to have removable controllers like Joy-Con, but one of the prototypes reportedly has a wider form factor compared to Switch. Valve is unlikely to put a QWERTY keyboard, but the device would feature a built-in gamepad, triggers, joystick, and a thumb-sized touchpad said to be smaller than the one on the Steam Controller.
Valve is also expected to use a system-on-chip from either Intel or AMD. The company is reportedly planning to add a function that would let gamers connect the device to TV or monitors via a USB-C cable.
There is no official announcement about a Steam-branded handheld PC gaming device yet, but the report mentioned a possibility that it could launch before 2021 ends. It is then worth noting what Valve co-founder Gabe Newell said while speaking at the Sancta Maria College in Auckland, New Zealand, earlier this month. When asked about the possibility of Steam bringing games to console, Newell only said, “You will get a better idea of that by the end of this year. And it won't be the answer you would expect.”
