The Steam Deck has long been praised as an affordable, convenient PC gaming console, with its ease of use and approachability being key selling points.
As a long-term user, I think it’s a magical device. It lets you take your PC games anywhere, and with robust hardware on board, you can play pretty much any games handheld, even more graphically-demanding adventures.
I wouldn’t be playing nearly as many games if I didn’t have my Steam Deck on-hand at all times.
It feels like a shame then, that it’s suddenly become significantly more expensive, in a way that will make it far less accessible for general audiences.
Where once, it was a sub-$1,000 device easier to justify, changes to the global economy and parts supply has inspired a global price rise of around 30-40% globally.
Steam Deck gets global price rise – quick links
How much the Steam Deck now costs in Australia
This week, developer Valve announced a sudden price rise for the console, with little notice. A new batch of Steam Deck OLED consoles were simply announced as being in stock, with the caveat that they’d be higher-priced as a result of ‘rising memory and storage costs.’
Here’s how much the console now costs in Australia, as well as how much it previously cost.
| Model | Original Price | Current Price |
| Steam Deck LCD | $649 | Unchanged |
| Steam Deck OLED 512GB | $899 | $1,199 |
| Steam Deck OLED 1TB | $1,049 | $1,429 |
While the Steam Deck LCD model hasn’t had a price change, that’s only because it’s no longer manufactured. The significant price hikes between the OLED 512GB model (29%) and the OLED 1TB model (31%) are a direct result of increasing costs to manufacturing in 2026.
Why the Steam Deck price has risen globally
As shared by Valve, the reasons for the price rise are the same as those impacting other console suppliers, such as PlayStation.
‘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 says.
It has promised to keep users updated if anything changes.
The reality is the price of manufacturing isn’t in Valve’s hands. There’s certainly an argument to be made that it can absorb the added costs of manufacturing, but changes likely mean the previous, lower cost rendered the console unprofitable.
Currently, we’re seeing unprecedented demand for various PC components, particularly memory chips and storage. That’s all down to the increasing popularity of investment in AI, driven by the belief that storage and memory capacity will soon be essential for businesses to operate productively – although this isn’t necessarily couched in the practical reality of using AI.
Many believe this is an investment bubble that will burst eventually, with the demand on hardware likely to ease once the boom slows, and the actual return on investment is revealed. For now, enduring hardware popularity does mean the increased cost of parts is increasingly being shifted to consumers, who will now have to pay more for the same hardware.
It’s likely these prices will stick around for the foreseeable future, so those looking to buy a Steam Deck will be saving for longer than originally anticipated.
Also on ScreenHub: How much the PS5, PS5 Pro and PlayStation Portal now cost in Australia
PlayStation recently confirmed significant price rises for the PS5 and PS5 Pro consoles, as well as the PlayStation Portal remote player, as a result of economic pressures and the increasing cost of complex manufacturing.
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