Valve Just Massively Increased The Price Of A Steam Deck

Valve raised prices for both Steam Deck OLED variants in the United States. The Steam Deck OLED 1TB increased from $650 to $950, and the Steam Deck OLED 512GB increased from $550 to $790. The new pricing makes the handheld PC far less affordable for playing PC games. The device is several years old and struggles with newer, higher-end games, yet it is now priced higher than before. The Steam Deck OLED 1TB is now more expensive than a PS5 Pro in the US. The increases also raise concerns about the future cost of a more powerful Valve device called the Steam Machine.

"Valve has quietly raised the price for the Steam Deck by $200 as PC parts and memory chips continue to climb in price amid shortages caused by AI hyperscalers. A Steam Deck OLED 1TB device now costs nearly $1,000."

"On May 27, as spotted by video game deals guru Wario64, Valve has raised the price of both variants of the Steam Deck OLED. And not by just a few dollars. These are some massive increases. Here are the new prices for a Steam Deck in the United States: Steam Deck OLED 1TB - $950 ( previously $650) Steam Deck OLED 512GB - $790 ( previously $550)"

"This makes the once relatively affordable Steam Deck a now much pricier option for playing PC games. And keep in mind that the Steam Deck is a few years old and struggles with newer, higher-end games. And yet, the Steam Deck is now more expensive than ever. In fact, the Steam Deck OLED 1TB now costs more than a PS5 Pro in the United States. Let that sink in."

"These new prices are rough and make gaming even more inaccessible for people. And it makes me terrified of what the Steam Machine, Valve's console-like PC spin-off device, will cost when it releases later this year. The Steam Machine is more powerful than a Steam Deck. That likely means the Steam Machine is going to cost over $1,000 in the US at this point."

Read at Kotaku