Personal Tech
Same handheld, same specs, just a much steeper bill
Valve has hiked the price of its Steam Deck handheld gaming PC, citing rising costs of memory and storage.
The 512 GB version of the OLED unit is now $789, up from $549, and the 1 TB handheld is up more than 46 percent to $949.
In a statement, Valve said: "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."
This is the latest example of a vendor passing rising silicon costs on to customers. Raspberry Pi has also ratcheted up prices over recent months, most recently announcing a $100 hike for the 16 GB Raspberry Pi 5. Similarly, Microsoft announced increases across its Surface range in April.
It is unclear how long the crunch will last. Raspberry Pi boss Eben Upton committed to reversing the price increases when costs fall, but Valve has been more coy, simply stating: "We'll keep you updated if anything changes."
Earlier this year, analysts forecast that memory shortages could run into 2027 and beyond. Dell COO Jeff Clarke called the situation "unprecedented."
One result may be lower specifications. To soften the blow, Raspberry Pi introduced a 3 GB Raspberry Pi 4, and AI PCs may ship with less onboard memory as vendors try to keep prices down. That is a bit ironic, given that one of the driving factors behind the current silicon shortage is AI infrastructure demand.
The growth of AI has led vendors to snap up memory supplies and the resulting shortage of components has pushed prices higher, although the hefty double digit percentage increase in Steam Deck prices is substantial.
The Steam Deck first went on sale in 2022 with an LCD screen. The OLED version arrived in 2023, and Valve has since discontinued the LCD models.
Component shortages and price rises are a way of life for the tech industry these days, and a painful adjustment is underway. Valve's customers are only the latest to feel the sharp end of the silicon stick. ®