Valve has increased the price of the Steam Deck by up to £210, with the 512GB model now costing £669 and the 1TB model at £779. The price hike was announced without warning in a community post confirming restocks, citing rising component costs and global logistical challenges.
Steam Deck Price Hike Details
The original prices were £479 for the 512GB model and £569 for the 1TB model, meaning increases of £190 and £210 respectively. This far exceeds Nintendo's recent £34 price increase for the Switch 2, which will rise to around £430 in September. The Steam Deck was already more expensive than the Switch 2, and the gap has widened significantly.
Valve's Explanation
In a community post, Valve stated: "Steam Deck itself hasn't changed; these new prices reflect the current state of component costs and other global logistical challenges across the industry as a whole." The company pointed to ongoing memory shortages as a key factor.
Steam Machine Pricing Concerns
The price increase bodes poorly for the upcoming Steam Machine, expected to launch before the end of June. Valve has not announced a price, but VR insider Brad Lynch claims whispers suggest the estimated price was already higher than the new Steam Deck prices two months ago. If accurate, the Steam Machine could cost around £1,000, making it a niche product for hardcore Steam users.
This comes as Valve aims to redeem the original Steam Machine, which was a commercial failure and discontinued after a few years. The poor timing of the price hike may hinder those efforts.
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