Valve’s Steam Deck price hike slashes sales and sparks pricing debate

Valve raised the price of its Steam Deck handheld PC in May 2026, increasing the 512 GB OLED model from $549 to $789 and the 1 TB version from $649 to $949, while the LCD variant was removed from the store. The steep price jump caused weekly sales to fall from about 18,000 units in 2025 to roughly 3,000 units, an 82 % drop, according to Boiling Steam. Analysts suggest the Deck would need to be priced near $500 to regain appeal, noting that competitors such as the ASUS ROG Ally X are priced around €900 despite superior hardware. Valve’s own entry‑level offering is cited at about $400, a level that could make the Deck a “best‑buy” again.