Exciting news for gamers across the globe: Valve's Steam Deck OLED version is finally here, and it brings along a powerful revision to its processor, dubbed Sephiroth. Not only does this upgrade put a spotlight on the technological advancements Valve is banking on, but it also uncovers the deep-rooted affection the company has for the genre of Japanese Role-Playing Games (JRPG).
The Steam Deck uses an Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), a type of processor that fuses a Central Processing Unit (CPU) and a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) on a single chip. Manufactured by AMD, the APU in the first generation of the Steam Deck was named Van Gogh, though inside Valve's premises, it was lovingly referred to as Aerith. This name is a homage to Final Fantasy 7's well-loved character, the flower girl.
With the arrival of the Steam Deck's OLED version, the original 7nm Aerith APU gets an upgrade to a 6nm architecture, which has been aptly named Sephiroth. What's interesting is that in the realms of Steam Deck development, just as in the narrative of Final Fantasy 7, Sephiroth supersedes Aerith.
To those not tuned into the gaming world, the twist of 'Sephiroth kills Aerith' has become a staple, almost as iconic as Star Wars' 'Vader is Luke's father' revelation. The launcher of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth may reintroduce this storyline to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts, with subtle hints indicating a possible subversion of the original plot twist.
On the practical side of these upgrades, consumers may not notice a substantial distinction between the original Aerith APU and the new Sephiroth APU. The OLED model, armed with the Sephiroth processor, isn't expected to bring a large leap in performance. In fact, the original 256GB Aerith version will continue to be available, albeit at a reduced price, establishing itself as the entry-level model of the Steam Deck series.
Valve's choice of using iconic Final Fantasy 7 character names for their APUs has sparked curiosity and speculation about future upgrades. People are left guessing what the processor of the anticipated next-generation Steam Deck 2 will be named. For now though, fans can settle for some humor as they anticipate a potential 'Tifa' nomenclature, just for the inevitable launch of 'Tifa is better than Aerith' jokes.
Whether you're a tech enthusiast or an avid gamer, or both, Valve's Steam Deck OLED offers something for everyone – advanced technology inspired by beloved gaming legacies. Valve continues to blur the line between the gaming narrative and hardware development, enhancing the user experience for gamers worldwide. As the story unfolds with every new upgrade, gamers and enthusiasts alike look forward to seeing how Valve will merge their Final Fantasy 7 fandom with the next big Steam Deck revelation.
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