Valve has relaunched the Steam Deck after a three-month stockout, but the handheld is now significantly more expensive and available only in OLED models. The 512GB version starts at $789, and the 1TB model costs $949—nearly double the original $400 LCD model’s price. Valve attributes the increase to rising memory and storage costs, driven by semiconductor manufacturers prioritizing high-margin AI data center contracts over consumer hardware.

The pricing shift reflects a broader trend in the PC gaming market. Other handhelds, like the Lenovo Legion Go S, have also seen steep increases, now approaching $1,000. With AMD’s Zen 2-based integrated graphics now six years old, the new Steam Deck models offer limited performance gains for their much higher cost. In regions like Canada, Europe, and Australia, prices exceed $1,100, making the device a premium purchase.

The AI-driven demand for RAM and storage has disrupted supply chains, making it difficult to build a capable gaming PC under $1,000. Even Valve’s future hardware, including a discrete GPU Steam Machine and a Steam Frame VR headset, has been delayed to late 2026 due to component constraints. While some Chinese memory producers are entering the global market, relief may only come if AI investment slows—though such a shift would carry wider economic consequences.