- Valve’s Steam Deck has reportedly seen 82% fewer units sold due to price increases
- The estimates are based on the handheld’s position in Steam’s global weekly top seller ranking
- The alleged demand plunge suggests that the hype for handheld gaming PCs may be spoiled by the RAM crisis
It’s fair to say that Valve was largely responsible for the resurgence in popularity of handheld gaming with the Steam Deck (of course Nintendo also played its part with its Switch console), but the RAM crisis seems to have undone much of the work.
According to an analysis by Boiling Steam, Steam Deck sales are reportedly down 82% on average, due to the price increase on both LCD and OLED models. The analysis is based on Steam Deck’s position in the weekly top seller rankings on Steam, including calculations and estimates made regarding revenue from the units.
Boiling Steam claims that a 72% drop in revenue and a 54% price increase has “completely shut down demand” for the Steam Deck, ultimately resulting in the proposed 82% fewer units sold on average.
These suggestions are certainly not far-fetched, especially since some of the official data from Valve indicates so. In the global weekly top seller ranking, Steam Deck is currently in 14th place, a drastic drop from a top five position.
It’s also worth noting that the LCD model has been discontinued (still awaiting discontinuation in Australia), meaning the minimum consumers will need to spend for a Steam Deck will be $789 / £649 / AU$1,199 for the 512GB OLED model. Storage for the latter and its 1TB counterpart is also intermittent due to RAM and memory shortages.
Worse value
Most importantly, both OLED models are priced much closer to the Steam Machine ($1,049 / £879 / AU$1,609) than before, which is a more powerful full-fledged desktop gaming PC – and perhaps that explains why the mini gaming PC is currently third in the weekly top seller ranking on Steam (even though it’s only been there for a week).
Steam Deck is also an aging device, with more powerful mobile hardware for handheld gaming being released since the launch of Valve’s handheld. Steam Deck used to get a pass as it was much cheaper than newer, more powerful competitors, but due to the price increase that is no longer the case.
It’s not all Valve’s fault, as the RAM crisis has effectively hit every PC manufacturer by 2026. After all, that’s why the Steam Machine costs as much as it does, as market conditions forced Valve’s hand to avoid selling at a loss.
However, the supposed significant drop in Steam Deck consumer demand, combined with the $1,000+ prices of other gaming handhelds, serves as a strong indication that handheld gaming is once again becoming a very niche option for gamers – and it wasn’t exactly mainstream to begin with.
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