Valve Axes Cheapest Steam Deck Model Amid Holiday Season
If you're interested in buying a new Steam Deck for yourself or a loved one this holiday season, it’s now going to cost at least $149.99 more if you buy directly off Valve’s website.Valve Discontinues $399 Steam Deck LCD, Raising Entry Bar for Budget Gamers This Holiday
Budget-conscious gamers hoping to score a Steam Deck this holiday season have received a unwelcome update: Valve is discontinuing the handheld’s most affordable model, the $399 Steam Deck LCD 256GB. The move, first spotted by Engadget via a quiet update to Valve’s official Steam Deck webpage, eliminates the entry-level option for the popular handheld gaming PC.
“We are no longer producing the Steam Deck LCD 256GB model. Once sold out, it will no longer be available,” the website update states. As of press time, the model is already listed as out of stock on Valve’s U.S. storefront, though limited inventory remains in major markets like the UK and Australia. Third-party retailers and the secondhand market may still have units available, but the disappearance of the $399 SKU effectively pushes the Steam Deck’s starting price up by $150 to $549 for the 512GB OLED model—with the 1TB OLED variant retailing for $649.
Valve has not publicly addressed the decision to axe the LCD 256GB model, nor has it provided a rationale for the lineup shakeup. Industry speculation, however, points to rising component costs—particularly for memory and storage—as a potential factor, a trend that has pressured hardware makers across the tech sector .
While the pricier OLED models command a heftier upfront cost, they do offer tangible upgrades over the discontinued LCD variant. Key improvements include a slightly larger 7.4-inch display, 1 to 4 hours of additional battery life, higher resolution, 90Hz refresh rate support, and faster Wi-Fi 6E connectivity . The OLED models also feature a more power-efficient 6nm APU and lighter design, enhancing the on-the-go gaming experience .
For consumers unwilling or unable to stretch their budget to $549, alternatives exist in the crowded handheld PC market—options that outlets like PCMag have highlighted in their roundups of top budget-friendly gaming handhelds.
The Steam Deck lineup change comes as Valve expands its hardware ecosystem. Last month, the company revived the Steam Machine, a 5.7-pound gaming-focused mini PC boasting “over six times the horsepower” of the Steam Deck, promising superior frame rates and graphics performance. Like the Steam Deck, it runs Valve’s Linux-based SteamOS, optimized specifically for gaming rather than general computing.
Valve also unveiled the Steam Frame, a new VR headset, during the same announcement. Slated for an early 2026 release, the Steam Frame aims to deliver a fully wireless PC VR gaming experience, marking the company’s latest push into immersive gaming hardware.
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