00:00The Steam Deck just got a huge price hike. What was once one of the best value gaming handhelds
00:05just a year ago is now going to set you back an extra 300 bucks. So in this video, I'll
00:10tell you
00:10if the Steam Deck is still worth it, the other gaming handheld alternatives I recommend, and the
00:15best way to get the most out of the devices you already own. So let's get into it. First, let's
00:21take a quick look back at where the Steam Deck started. It originally went on sale in 2022 between
00:27$399 and $649. In November of 2023, Valve launched a new Steam Deck with a bigger OLED screen and
00:35a number of small upgrades. That cost $549 for the 512GB model or $649 for the 1TB. Over the
00:44next two years, the LCD model was slowly phased out, officially ending production in December
00:48of 2025. After that, the lowest new Steam Deck that you could buy cost $550, which seemed
00:55like a lot at the time. But compare that to now. In May of 2026, after months of Steam Deck
01:02shortages, Valve announced that the 512GB OLED model would increase to $789, while the 1TB
01:10model would now cost $949. Just like a lot of other gadgets, AI shortages and supply chain
01:18interruptions were to blame, which unfortunately means that this price hike is here to stay for
01:22a while. So, with these new prices, is the Steam Deck still worth buying? Yes! Even with
01:28these price hikes, the Steam Deck OLED remains one of our favorite gaming handhelds. While
01:32it doesn't have the best ergonomics, the OLED screen is vivid, bright, and really makes your
01:36games pop. If you don't need as much storage, the 512GB OLED Steam Deck is one of the most
01:42convenient and affordable ways to play your Steam library on the go.
01:48That said, at these higher prices, there are other competing models you should consider.
01:52If you're willing to give up OLED, the Lenovo Legion Go S with the Ryzen Z2 Go is more affordable,
01:58has better ergonomics, is more powerful, and still runs SteamOS. It normally retails for $999,
02:05but I've seen these go on sale regularly for under $700, or open box for around $550. Even cheaper is
02:12the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally for $600, probably the best value Windows 11 handheld right now. With its Xbox-like
02:20controllers, it's one of the most ergonomic handhelds. Because this is running Windows, you can play your
02:25Steam games as well as connecting to your libraries, including Epic, GOG, and more. Now, if you can stretch
02:31your budget a tiny bit more, the $1,000 ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X has the same Xbox-like controllers,
02:38but double
02:39the storage, and has the beefier Z2 Extreme processor with 24GB of RAM, giving you even better gaming
02:45performance. On the other hand, if you're more interested in finding a convenient way to play your
02:51Steam games on your living room TV rather than on the go, you should check out the Steam Machine. It's
02:56an
02:56interesting take on the mini gaming PC. While the $1049 price reveal was a bit shocking, if you try
03:02and spec a similar PC build yourself, it comes out to about the same. While the Steam Machine is
03:07significantly more powerful than the Steam Deck, it still struggles to push 4K resolutions with more
03:12demanding games, and you'll probably need to find the right mix of settings to get a steady frame rate.
03:17You can check out Jason's full review on the channel to learn more. In a lot of ways,
03:21traditional consoles like the Xbox Series X and PS5 continue to be more convenient here. And so,
03:27I'd say if you mostly play casual games anyway and you don't need the more powerful hardware,
03:32you could always just connect a Steam Deck to a TV for a similar couch gaming experience.
03:37As cool as the Steam Machine is, it's really tough to recommend for most people over the Steam Deck right
03:42now, especially with its long waitlist to buy one. Now, if you aren't already invested in Steam
03:49games but you want a good mix of performance, portability, and affordability, this might be
03:54one of the best times to buy a Switch 2. Even with its own recently announced $50 price increase
04:00starting September 1st, 2026, the Switch 2 is more powerful. It's lighter and about $300 cheaper
04:06than the Steam Deck OLED. If you're watching this before that date, you can still get a Switch 2 for
04:11its original $450 price or $500 with a game bundle which comes with your choice of Mario Kart World,
04:18Donkey Kong Bonanza, or my favorite, Pocopia. And I've got the best Switch 2 deals linked down below.
04:23Yes, these smaller controllers mean ergonomics aren't the best, but I found pairing it with
04:27something like the Kill Switch case from Dbrand completely fixes that. Obviously, Switch 2 is
04:33mostly known for its library of exclusive Nintendo games, although more popular AAA games have been
04:38ported over. The one downside is that these games don't get discounted as often as they seem to on the
04:44Steam store. Something else I've been a big fan of lately is mobile gaming. I made a whole video
04:49on what's possible now, but the quick summary is iPhone and Android now have a great selection of
04:55ported over titles like Death Stranding, Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty, and a lot more that you can
04:59download and play. These games are extremely well optimized and when paired with one of my favorite
05:04mobile controllers like the Razer Kishi, it's one of the easiest and most affordable ways to play a
05:09growing catalog of games without needing to make another big investment. Even better, you can now
05:15play full console and PC games thanks to cloud streaming services like Xbox Game Pass and NVIDIA
05:20GeForce Now. So long as you have a good internet connection, you can even play the most demanding
05:26games and your phone won't break a sweat. Another alternative that's been gaining a lot of buzz are
05:31absolutely download and play your Steam games on Android, complete with cloud saves and achievements.
05:36This will allow you to purchase an Android gaming device that are usually cheaper than the Windows
05:4011 handhelds that I've already shared. There's a lot to get into here, so let me know in the comments
05:45if you want to see a whole video about Android handhelds. So yeah, the Steam Deck finds itself in
05:51a very interesting spot after its price hike. For a lot of people, the base Steam Deck OLED is still
05:57a
05:57great investment, though for around the same price or even less, there are a lot of other great handhelds
06:01to choose from now. But I want to know what you guys think. Would you still buy a Steam Deck?
06:06Make sure to stay subscribed because we are always putting out a ton of gaming handheld content.
06:10This year's handheld showdown is going to be huge. Follow me to see what other cool tech I'm reviewing,
06:14and I'll catch you in the next one.
06:16See you in now.
06:17Bye.
06:19Bye.
06:20Bye.
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