May 28, 2026
Decked by the price hike
Valve hikes Steam Deck prices by more than 40%, blaming rising costs
Gamers are split between sticker shock, shrugs, and "well... it was sold out anyway"
TLDR: Valve raised Steam Deck OLED prices by more than 40%, blaming more expensive parts and shipping problems. Fans are split between heartbreak, reluctant acceptance, and savage jokes that if it sold out anyway, maybe the new price still wasn’t high enough.
Valve has dropped a wallet-jumpscare on handheld gaming fans: the OLED Steam Deck just got a massive price hike, with the 512GB model jumping to £649 and the 1TB version soaring to £779. Valve says it’s down to pricier parts and global shipping headaches — but online, the real action is in the reactions. One camp is devastated, with players basically posting variations of “there goes my dream of owning one”. Another is doing the internet’s favorite thing: arguing over whether this is scandalous at all. As one commenter put it, calling it “blaming rising costs” makes Valve sound sneaky when, in their view, everyone already knows memory and storage prices have shot up.
And then came the classic comment-section split: is the Steam Deck still worth it, or has it crossed into absurd territory? Some fans defended it like a beloved pet, calling it some of the most exciting hardware in years even at the new price. Others were far less forgiving, saying it’s hard to justify creeping toward £800 to £1,000 territory when rivals and consoles look cheaper on paper. One user tossed in the driest joke of the bunch — the price is “apparently not high enough” because it’s already out of stock. Brutal. The bigger panic now? If this handheld costs this much, people are already nervously side-eyeing Valve’s unreleased Steam Machine and wondering if that thing is about to become a luxury item.
Key Points
- •Valve raised prices for its 512GB and 1TB OLED Steam Deck models by 43% and 46% respectively, citing memory, storage and logistics costs.
- •The 512GB OLED Steam Deck now costs $789 (£649, €779), while the 1TB model now costs $949 (£779, €919).
- •Valve said the Steam Deck hardware has not changed and that the increase reflects current component costs and broader industry logistical challenges.
- •Valve no longer sells cheaper LCD Steam Deck models directly, so direct buyers can only purchase the OLED versions.
- •The article links Valve's move to wider industry price increases by Sony and Nintendo, and says RAM costs have risen partly because AI data centre demand has grown.