Valve has jacked up the price of the Steam Deck OLED by $300, marking one of the steepest increases in gaming hardware history. The company announced on May 26 that the 512GB model now costs $789 (up from $549), while the 1TB version is $949 (from $649).
The increase stems from the ongoing industry-wide memory crisis, which has been creating the worst memory price spike in 15 years. AI data centers now consume around 70% of global memory chip production.
In its announcement, Valve wrote that the “Steam Deck itself hasn’t changed” and that the new prices “reflect the current state of component costs and other global logistical challenges across the industry as a whole.” The company warned back in February that Steam Decks would be out of stock intermittently due to memory and storage shortages.
Both OLED models are back in stock, and the delivery estimates are three to five business days. Refurbished LCD models remain available at $359, unchanged. Meanwhile, refurbished OLED units also saw increases, with the 512GB model now priced at $629 and the 1TB at $759.
This doesn’t bode well for Valve’s upcoming Steam Machine, which could launch at around $1,200 if memory prices remain elevated. And here we thought the upcoming Xbox would be the first console to reach the $ 1,000 mark.
