Steam Deck Sales Drop 82% Following Hardware Price Increase

Market research data published by industry analysts and reported by Ars Technica indicates that Valve's Steam Deck handheld gaming console suffered an 82% drop in unit sales following recent global price increases across OLED and LCD models.

The price hike, driven by rising memory component costs and international logistics tariffs, pushed the baseline handheld into direct price competition with full-fledged gaming laptops and next-gen home consoles. Consumers responded by delaying purchases or turning to alternative handheld devices from ROG and Lenovo.

Industry analysts suggest Valve may need to introduce seasonal discounts or bundle software incentives to regain sales momentum ahead of the upcoming holiday season.