Steam Deck sales have reportedly dropped by more than 80% since Valve's price hike

The Steam Deck price hike felt inevitable, considering the increased cost of components for gaming hardware these days, but even if we can understand why Valve had to put prices up, it doesn't mean consumers are just as willing to buy the handheld PC. Sales of the once beloved Steam Deck have apparently plummeted since the price hike.

A new report from Boiling Steam shows that Steam Deck sales have fallen by 82% since the price hikes were introduced. It found this figure by looking at Steam's revenue rankings, the average selling price, the sales split by different Steam Deck models, and data from the reliable SteamDB. Considering the Steam Deck rose in price by 40% in places, and is now more expensive than a PS5 and just £10 cheaper than the Pro model, it's of little surprise people don't want to spend that much on a handheld PC. Glancing at the UK version of the Steam Store, though, we're told that the 1TB OLED model of the Steam Deck is currently out of stock, meaning sales may not be as disastrous as first thought. Or stock was low anyway.

When it was 40% cheaper, the Steam Deck was one of the best buys in PC gaming for people who wanted to expand their portability. Its features and SteamOS meant that even if it wasn't the most powerful rig, it offered what others could not at a much more affable price point. Now, if you're going to spend £800 on a handheld PC, you might be better off looking at other models for a cheaper or more powerful alternative.