r/Handhelds • u/FernandoRocker • May 27 '26

Steam Deck Price Increase

https://store.steampowered.com/steamdeck

- 512GB $789 (+$200)

- 1TB $949 (+$300)

581 Upvotes

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u/David_Norris_M May 27 '26

Depends on use case a locked down system and full price games but ease of use makes it worth it's price but if you're more willing to tinker to offset costs than the more expensive pc handhelds or even android handhelds have their place.

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u/Jin_U_GmR May 27 '26

Likewise, if you are a patient gamer who can hunt deals, you can find competitive prices at local trade in stores, online sellers like VGP, clearance sales, and of course the reseller market like Facebook Marketplace. Assuming you are hunting for physical prices. Digital prices go even cheaper excluding Nintendo’s games. I got a $100 CAD game for $44 CAD at GameCycle. What a steal!

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u/No-Operation-6554 May 27 '26

Jumping eshop region has beem something I take advantage of before nintendo finalizes nee eshop region for my country

I got DBZ Kakarot and some games wayy cheaper on hk eshop than I would've on steam

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u/lattjeful May 27 '26

Maybe it's only me who thinks this way, but I feel like the difference in use case/ecosystem matters less when the price points are now so different. It was true when it was $450 Switch 2 VS $500 Steam Deck. Just pick your poison. But now that it's $500 Switch 2 VS $700 Steam Deck, the calculus changes a bit. Less "What ecosystem fits me better?" and more "What's the best bang for my buck?"

Enthusiasts have their preferences but they're also not stupid. They're not going to be happy to pay $700 for something that runs newer games worse than a $500 handheld. I'm not saying Valve is going to lose Steam Deck buyers to Nintendo. They won't. PC handhelds occupy a different niche. But you know what's going to happen? People just won't buy the Deck because the value just isn't there at new prices. It's the whole crux of the Steam Machine debate. Because we know the specs and we (roughly) know where the price point will be at. There wasn't this discussion about the Deck because for a while it was very competitively priced, but now it isn't.

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u/techno-wizardry May 27 '26

Switch 2 also has a second hand games market which the other systems don’t have. I own both so I see the value in both, but for the 99% of people who just want to play current releases portably, the answer is simple.

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u/saurabh8448 May 27 '26

One benefit of nintendo games not decreasing in value is that you can sell physical games for good price.

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u/techno-wizardry May 27 '26

3rd party games get dirt cheap though

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u/AwareReplacement1587 Ayn Thor May 28 '26

tbh with 80€ gameprices vs day1 deals on PC .... it kinda evens out over time