{"id":56988,"date":"2026-05-31T23:25:59","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T15:25:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=56988"},"modified":"2026-05-31T23:25:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T15:25:59","slug":"new-steam-deck-price-hike-is-very-bad-news-for-millions-of-gamers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=56988","title":{"rendered":"New Steam Deck price hike is very bad news for millions of gamers"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Patch Notes<\/strong> is a weekly newsletter bringing you the best of Polygon, sent on Fridays and published on the site on Sundays. You can <\/em>subscribe here<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Continuing 2026\u2019s most dire trend, the video game hardware landscape became even more expensive this week. Valve announced that it is drastically raising the price of the Steam Deck, raising the 512GB OLED model from $549 to $789. If you want a 1TB model, you\u2019ll now have to shell out $949 \u2014 a whopping $300 price increase. It\u2019s ominous news for anyone who was hoping that Valve\u2019s upcoming Steam Machine might be a cost-effective alternative to owning a full-on gaming PC.<\/p>\n

The Steam Deck\u2019s price increase is eye-popping, but hardly surprising. If anything, Valve is late to the worst party ever. Xbox kicked things off last year by raising the price of all Series S and Series X models, bringing the standard Series X (disc drive included) up to $650. Sony kept the ball rolling in March with PlayStation 5 price hikes that brought the PS5 Pro up to $900. Nintendo followed suit by raising the Nintendo Switch 2 up to $500, a price that somehow looks like a steal next to the Steam Deck.<\/p>\n

What the heck is going on? Corporate greed would be an easy answer, but it\u2019s a lot more complicated than that. The mess partially kicked off last year when President Donald Trump announced a wave of sweeping tariffs that heavily targeted many countries known for manufacturing video game consoles. That hasn\u2019t exactly gone according to plan, but it has created a major degree of uncertainty for hardware makers that still lingers.<\/p>\n

The more pressing problem is AI. The price hikes are directly tied to a RAM crisis currently plaguing the computing industry. Long story short: Companies are rushing to build AI data centers right now, and those require a lot of memory to power. There aren\u2019t a lot of memory manufacturers out there, and they could make a lot more money selling specialized parts to data centers than putting chips into consumer products. That triggered a RAM shortage, jacking the price of memory for both your average consumer and the companies making video game hardware. Thus, the price of consoles and handhelds \u2014 basically anything that uses RAM \u2014 is going sky-high to compensate.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s not much that can be done to solve the crisis. The damage is done and the knock-on effects of it could last years. That\u2019s terrible news for players who are already struggling to keep up with $70 games, but it\u2019s also dire for an industry that is in desperate need of relief. With video games costing more than ever to develop, publishers need to reach as large of an audience as possible to actually turn a profit. That\u2019s going to be a daunting task if video game consoles become even more of a luxury item than they already were. The hobby is becoming less accessible than ever, propped up by enthusiasts who already own hardware. Even then, those players can\u2019t avoid an upgrade forever when games like Call of Duty: Warzone<\/em> are finally ditching last-gen consoles.<\/p>\n

The best anyone can do right now is wait it out. It\u2019s an unusual time for the market, to say the least, but there\u2019s hope that the RAM crisis will subside eventually and prices will come back down to Earth. But that\u2019s going to depend on a number of variables, including a slowdown in the tech world\u2019s insatiable AI craze. If you can\u2019t afford to replace your Steam Deck so you can play Mina the Hollower<\/em>, maybe you can use your new free time to protest a data center\u2019s construction.<\/p>\n

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\n Steam Deck just got a massive price hike
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\"An\n <\/picture>Image: Valve<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Here are all the gory details about the Steam Deck\u2019s new price point.<\/p>\n

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\n Even people who already own a Steam Deck are sweating the price increase
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\"Photographs\n <\/picture>Photo: Amelia Holowaty Krales\/Polygon<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

PC gaming enthusiasts are spiraling over the fact that Valve is just like any other company, Patricia Hernandez reports.<\/p>\n

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\n Nintendo World Championships winner is auctioning off his 3DS, and it’s already at $20,000
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\"A\n <\/picture>Photo: Nintendo<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Now if you want to see what a really <\/em>expensive video game handheld looks like\u2026<\/p>\n

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\n Plus this:
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\"A\n <\/picture>Image: A24\/Everett Collection<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n