Valve hikes Steam Deck price by up to $300 as chip shortages squeeze games hardware market

Valve has increased the price of its premium Steam Deck OLED duo, causing concerns about the company's upcoming Steam Machine.

2

Gaming systems are becoming more and more expensive as Valve makes a substantial price hike for its Steam Deck handhelds. The Steam Deck OLEDs went back into stock alongside the effective hike, with the 512GB OLED now at $789, up $200 and +34% from its previous price of $589, and the 1TB model is now an attention-getting $949, up a hefty $300 and +46% from its previous price of $649.

The new adjustment only reflects the OLED models--remember that the original LCD models are now out of production--and Valve offered a simple explanation: "Steam Deck OLED is back in stock, with a price increase for both models due to rising memory and storage costs."

Valve assures gamers that nothing has changed hardware-wise--these aren't Steam Deck 2 prices, just the original OLED ones--and the increase is due to the disruptions production chains:

"Steam Deck itself hasn't changed; these new prices reflect the current state of component costs and other global logistical challenges across the industry as a whole. We'll keep you updated if anything changes."

The new surprising numbers also give caution to gamers who are expecting Valve's new Steam Machine console-PC hybrid. The company says that it wants to launch the system in 2026, but if these costs continue, it could possibly be delayed indefinitely until the RAM and storage shortages abate.

The Steam Machines were to be a big part of Valve's big three-point entry into the hardware market, with the device acting as a successor to the ill-fated Steam Machine console-like PCs from 2015, however the ongoing market disruptions have stymied the company's plans.