A story on Ars Technica takes the clues mentioned earlier that Valve is possible working on some sort of hand-held gaming device. The author of the piece claims first-hand knowledge of plans for a "Switch-like portable gaming PC," but also hedges based on the mercurial tendencies Valve has shown in the past: "I can confirm the device's existence and development, and I can point to Newell's very loud hints that something console-related will be announced later this year, but Valve is still in a position to change gears (pun intended) at a moment's notice. The company could either delay or outright cancel this portable gaming PC project for any number of reasons." Here's more:

In recent years, the "Switch-like PC" category has exploded. In early 2020, Alienware revealed its first Switch-like gaming PC, but the "concept" device has not been a financial success. If you want to buy one today, you're largely looking at Chinese OEMs like GPD, One-Netbook, and Aya, who have slapped ultramobile PC processors and parts into a Switch-like chassis.

SteamPal will go a similar route, with a system on a chip likely coming from either Intel or AMD, not Nvidia. (The aforementioned Switch-like PC manufacturers have leaned on both AMD and Intel for their products.) It's unclear whether Valve will release multiple SKUs to offer customers a choice of power level, battery life, and other specs, as other Switch-like PCs have offered over the past year.

At least one SteamPal prototype version is quite wide compared to the Nintendo Switch. This extra width accommodates a slew of control options. No, Valve is likely not slapping an entire QWERTY keyboard onto its system, but the company has built a standard array of gamepad buttons, triggers, and pair of joysticks, along with at least one thumb-sized touchpad (in addition to the device's touch-sensitive screen). The SteamPal's touchpad is likely smaller than the pair of touchpads that came standard on every Steam Controller.