Since it was first released back in 2003, Steam has dominated the PC market with its online storefront allowing users to access the latest PC games, as well as get their hands on free titles, demos, and even wishlist any upcoming releases that have caught their eye. Not only that, but Steam, owned by Valve, has even made a splash in the handheld market with the launch of its Steam Deck back in 2022, with an improved version, Steam Deck OLED, following in 2023.
Allowing fans to access their favorite PC games on the go, the Steam Deck has been a chosen piece of equipment for gamers over the past few years, but a surprise announcement may just see its popularity dwindle quite a bit.
That is because Valve announced overnight that the Steam Deck and Steam Deck OLED will be receiving quite substantial price increases. This means that Valve’s Steam Deck is officially being raised from $649 USD to $949 for the 1TB OLED model, and from $549 to $789 for the 512GB OLED model.
In the official blog post by Steam, the following can be read: “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.”
It is true that the price of hardware has risen exponentially due to the ongoing shortage and price hike of components, but there is no denying that this price increase is quite eye-watering, and we can only imagine what this means for the upcoming launch of the Steam Machine.
This is a worry that has started to plague potential customers who have taken to Reddit to share their thoughts on the recent Steam Deck price hike, and what this could mean for the future of Valve technology.
“Absolutely fried. $800-1K for the Steam Deck??” One post shared. “The Steam Machine is about to blow my wallet out of my pocket and I just can’t do that.” Another user agreed, adding, “Either they announce the SM price in a matter of days, or they wait a *while* for the shock of the SD price increase to wear off, I see no in between.”
At the time of writing, both the release date and price tag for the Steam Machine have not yet been released, but with it expected to launch some time this year, we can only imagine what this latest update will mean for its potential cost.
Over on r/steammachine, another user shared their worries, stating, “If these are the prices for the Steam Decks, I shudder to think about what the price of the Steam Machine will be.” One user replied, “The 1TB version being close to a grand despite almost being 3 years old is big yikes. The only way that I see the Steam Machine not seeing such a big price jump is if Valve is willing to sell it at a loss, but I do not think that they will do so.”
With many believing that they have no choice but to build their own PC to save money, it seems as though the launch of the Steam Machine is no longer as exciting as it first sounded. For now, we will have to wait and see what the future holds.
- Brand
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Valve
- Original Release Date
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September 12, 2003