Valve raises Steam Deck OLED prices due to “rising memory and storage costs”; the 512GB model is now $789, up from $549, and the 1TB model is $949, up from $649

The 1TB OLED model got a $300 price increase, and now costs $949. … Valve has significantly increased the price …

The Verge 2026-05-27 Jay Peters

Context & Ripple Effects

Valve had already warned in February that the OLED handheld could be intermittently unavailable because of memory and storage shortages. The latest move turns that supply pressure from an availability problem into a materially higher retail price.

The increase also lands as Valve prepares to sell a 512GB Steam Machine from $1,049, putting its portable OLED configurations much closer to the price range of its living-room Linux PC than when the OLED model launched at $549.

First-order effects

Steam Deck OLED buyers now face $240 more for the 512GB model and $300 more for the 1TB model; Valve is passing higher memory and storage costs through to customers rather than holding prior pricing.
Valve’s OLED handheld lineup becomes substantially more expensive while supply conditions remain constrained, reducing the price separation between higher-capacity Decks and the announced Steam Machine.

Second-order effects

The sharper premium for onboard capacity makes storage configuration a more consequential purchase decision for prospective Deck buyers, while increasing the importance of Valve’s ability to secure memory and storage supply.
Valve’s own hardware portfolio must now justify closer price comparisons between a portable Steam Deck OLED and the $1,049 base Steam Machine, rather than relying on the much wider gap implied by the OLED’s original pricing.

Third-order effects

If component shortages continue to be reflected in retail prices, gaming handhelds may become less able to use aggressive hardware pricing as a route into software ecosystems; devices with higher memory and storage requirements are especially exposed.
The episode points to a hardware market where supply-chain costs can alter product positioning after launch, not just at a new generation’s introduction—though the persistence of that shift depends on memory and storage costs easing or remaining elevated.

The trend: Gaming hardware makers are increasingly being forced to treat memory and storage availability as a pricing and product-positioning variable, not merely a procurement issue.

Discussion

@synthpotato @synthpotato on x
950$ for a Steam Deck 900$ for a PS5 Pro 650$ for an Xbox Series X 600$ for a PS5 500$ for a Switch 2 Gaming has become unaffordable, this literally can't be sustainable.
@govpressoffice @govpressoffice on x
DONALD TRUMP CONTINUES THE BIGGEST PRICE HIKE ON GAMERS EVER https://kotaku.com/...
@kiwitalkz @kiwitalkz on x
People who act like the Steam Deck is somehow a threat to the Switch 2 are hilarious, this thing barely sold 5 million units globally and it will dive off a cliff after this price hike. Most countries you can't buy it(like here in NZ, you have to import it.), no marketing behind
@cade_onder Cade Onder on x
In December I bought a Steam Deck and then I got laid off in January, so I was like... damn maybe I shouldn't have spent that money. Now that I see this, I am glad I made the decision that I did lmao
@jezcorden Jez on x
I expect PlayStation and Xbox to increase prices again before this is all over. CHINESE MEMORY PLS SAVE US.
@thegoblinnn @thegoblinnn on x
@Wario64 Literally no reason to buy it at that price. I own a Steam Deck and a Lenovo Legion Go, and the legion runs circles around the deck for basically the same price.
@pirat_nation @pirat_nation on x
Valve just raised Steam Deck OLED prices in the US while the devices are still out of stock, and the increase is insane New prices: 512GB OLED: $549 → $789 1TB OLED: $649 → $949 A $949 Steam Deck now costs as much as some high-end gaming laptops and premium handheld PCs [image]
@sadlyitsbradley Brad Lynch on x
Setting the expectations for Steam Machine price..
@carygolomb Cary Golomb on x
It is such a crazy time that I'm actually saying out loud, actually don't even bother getting a Steam Deck OLED, just get the Xbox ALLY X
@skillful__ @skillful__ on x
@Wario64 Jesus christ now the Steam Deck is arguably one of the worst deals in the handheld market LOL yikes You can get an ally x at this point and it'll run games significantly better
@gosuprime022 @gosuprime022 on x
@Wario64 whether people like Nintendo or not, the Switch 2 (msrp) is probably the best value handheld right now, you can emulate stuff on the deck which is nice BUT the hardware is getting pretty expensive Can get a switch 2 + online and you have hundreds of nes/snes/etc games to…
@nintendeal @nintendeal on x
In hindsight, Nintendo opting to release the Switch 2 with just 256 GB of UFS 3.1 was probably a smart move. Means they're able to keep the price of the console lower than other handhelds with higher storage capacity base models (Steam Deck OLED, etc). Passing the cost of
@culturecrave @culturecrave on x
Valve just raised Steam Deck prices in the US 🎮 • 1TB OLED $649 ➡️ $949 • 512GB OLED $549 ➡️ $789 “these new prices reflect the current state of component costs and other global logistical challenges across the industry as a whole” [image]
@wario64 @wario64 on x
Steam Deck LCD Refurbished is $279/$319/$359 on Steam https://store.steampowered.com/ ... May want to buy this very soon with the OLED price increases ($789/$949) [image]
@wario64 @wario64 on x
Steam Deck Refurbished units are in stock (LCD model price unaffected, OLED price increases) https://store.steampowered.com/ ... [image]
@jaypeters.net Jay Peters on bluesky
Valve has significantly increased the price of the Steam Deck. Not a great sign for the price of the Steam Machine! — www.theverge.com/games/938340...
r/valve r on reddit
Valve raises Steam Deck prices by more than $200
r/BetterOffline r on reddit
Valve raises Steam Deck prices by more than $200
@paultassi Paul Tassi on x
luckily, all of us have gotten 45% pay raises this year
@genepark Gene Park on x
the steam deck is a top 3 gaming device or console i've ever owned. it's also now no longer worth buying. i wanted to get another spare one but so much for that. unbelievably, the xbox rog ally x is now vastly better priced atm at $1,000, more powerful than steam deck.
r/GamingLaptops r on reddit
Valve raises Steam Deck prices by more than $200

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