Valve’s new handheld console the Steam Deck has received a wave of positive reviews, but it also has helped to set a new standard in what an open device can offer.

Why it matters: Gaming devices, like PlayStations and iPhones, have classically restricted what they can play and where users can buy games. A new wave of consoles with open designs is giving players free rein to load any software they want and tinker with devices.

What’s happening: The Steam Deck, which began rolling out to early buyers in February, not only lets players tap into Valve’s enormous Steam library, it also is an open framework that provides access to a wide variety of other platforms and capabilities.

Software to bridge the gap between the device’s Steam roots and other platforms is already cropping up for more casual users.

Yes, but: This open access to various platforms has always been the case with PC gaming, which has long had large communities dedicated to preserving interoperability and creative mod development in games.

Valve isn’t alone in riding this open wave. A new, niche handheld game console called the Play Date, released this spring, also has a similar philosophy.

The big picture: This range of open-walled gaming comes on the heels of increasing global scrutiny over how Big Tech companies like Apple and Google handle ecosystems that are charged with being anticompetitive.

The bottom line: For all the goodwill thrown at Valve and Play Date maker Panic for creating such flexible consoles, the move is more than altruistic.

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