If you want a Steam Deck and don’t have one already, get ready to pay top dollar for Valve’s portable PC. On Wednesday, the PC platform and hardware maker revealed that the original Steam Deck has gotten a massive price hike, an increase of $240 to $300, depending on the model.
On the lower end, the 512 GB OLED Steam Deck is going from $549 to $789. The Steam Deck with 1 TB of storage capacity will go from $649 to $949, Valve confirmed. The original 256 GB LED Steam Deck, which has been out of stock for months due to RAM shortages, is no longer listed as available for purchase.
Both current Steam Deck models are currently up for sale with these new price tags, and are estimated to ship within 3–5 business days. (Valve also sells “certified refurbished models of the Steam Deck, with prices ranging from $279 to $759.)
Valve is the latest game company to announce price increases for its products. Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft have all hiked up prices for their respective consoles, in some cases more than once, in recent years. Publishers have tried to offset these increased costs through new measures and initiatives. Nintendo’s digital games are slightly cheaper than its physical counterparts. Xbox recently announced that its flagship subscription service would cost less going forward. And Sony has been testing dynamic pricing that offers games at a discount.
Unlike its competitors, Valve has Steam, a platform that has amassed an incredible amount of goodwill. The new prices are a major increase, but not only do PC games tend to be cheaper, there are constant seasonal sales. Valve also does not charge for its multiplayer, nor does it offer a subscription service for games. Steam games also do well across a wide range of prices, meaning that budget-conscious consumers have plenty of options on the platform. Unlike a PS5 or NIntendo Switch 2, a Steam Deck is also a much more ancillary product for a different platform. Yet, through the success of products like the Steam Controller, the company has proven that it can sell products at luxury prices — provided the quality is there.
At the same time, the Steam Deck and its OLED upgrade are several years old at this point. With prices rising across the gaming world, wallets everywhere are hurting.
Valve has yet to announce the price of its upcoming Steam Machine hardware, but if the prices of its less powerful portable are any indication, it wouldn’t be surprising if we’re looking at $1,000 or more.
What will Valve’s Steam Machine cost, anyway?
Steam Machine looks like a console, but is primarily competing with PCs — which means Valve can go in a lot of directions for its new hardware
