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The Steam Deck has now been sold out for a few months, and it’s not clear if or when Valve is going to get more stock in. While it’s possible that at least some of the ‘game console’ shipments the company has been getting in could be handhelds, it’s possible that Valve just waits until its eventual Steam Deck 2 to ship more handhelds, especially with the Steam Machine seemingly around the corner.
That doesn’t change the fact that the Steam Deck, even four years after launch, is still one of the best handheld gaming PCs on the market. It’s understanable if folks want to pick it up, especially because for a lot of people, ‘Steam Deck’ is synonymous with ‘handheld PC’.
As the Steam Deck has been out of stock, however, the prices have only gone up. Right now, picking up a new Steam Deck on Amazon is going to set you back around $1,110 for the 512GB OLED model, which is exactly double that handheld’s list price. You shouldn’t pay that much for a Steam Deck, and even if you were willing to spend that much on a handheld, something like the Lenovo Legion Go S or the Xbox Ally X will cost about the same, but with a higher resolution display, better performance, and double the storage.
Even if you’re just trying to find something resembling a Steam Deck for around the same price, the Xbox Ally will have about the same level of performance, but with a more comfortable grip. Although, you will have to use Windows 11, but it’s at least better now with the Xbox Full Screen Experience. What’s wild, is that when it came out, the Xbox Ally was compared unfavorably with the Steam Deck, because at the time, Valve’s handheld just delivered a better value. That just goes to show you how much a product shortage can turn the tables.
There is still a way to get the Steam Deck at a somewhat reasonable price, but you’re going to have to brave used listings on Ebay. But even then, you’re still paying pretty close, or more, than the Deck’s MSRP, and getting it used on top of that – with no real guarantee that it’ll even work.
It really is a shame that the Steam Deck is going through this right now. Valve’s portable gaming PC made me fall in love with handheld PCs in a big way. Just a few months ago I repeatedly preached to folks that I know that the Steam Deck was the most affordable way to get into PC gaming. Hopefully, when the Steam Deck 2 eventually surfaces, that’ll be true again, but until then, I beg you: just get a different handheld. Don’t spend these ridiculous markup prices.
Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra
