If You Don't Already Own A Steam Deck, Now's The Perfect Time To Give In (2024)

Valve's gaming handheld, the Steam Deck, is currently discounted, making it the perfect time to pick one up. The Steam Deck launched in February 2022 to high praise and was already able to play an impressive number of Verified games at launch, with that number growing in the years that followed, and players even finding several untested titles would play at a decent quality on the device. Since then, there's also been the launch of the newer OLED models in November 2023 with a better screen, battery life, and more.

The 15% Steam Deck discount is currently available on Steam until 10AM PDT on July 11th, the same time the main Steam Summer Sale - which starts on June 27th - ends. It's worth noting that this discount only applies to the 64GB and 512GB Steam Deck LCD models that are being phased out, but at the price of $381.65, the 512GB Steam Deck LCD is actually currently cheaper than the 256GB LCD model, which isn't being phased out and is retailing at $399. It is also significantly cheaper than its OLED counterpart, which costs $549.00.

Steam Deck's LCD Models Are Still Pretty Decent And Worth Checking Out At The Discounted Price

Even With The OLED Upgrade

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While the Steam Deck OLED is clearly an improvement, both of the original Steam Deck LCD models have their value and are worth checking out in the sale. While the 64GB model's storage is incredibly small and won't hold many AAA titles, it is good for indies, and many who purchased this model did so with the logic that buying the cheapest version of the handheld and upgrading the storage with an SSD at a later date would still work out cheaper in some cases than buying a model with higher storage pre-built into it, especially as there are plenty of guides available on how to customize Valve's handheld to best suit an individual's preferences.

As for the 512GB model, this comes down largely to whether players feel the new features in the OLED are worth paying the additional cost, as with such a difference in price at the moment, there are some similarities between the two versions that still make the LCD worth looking into. Much like the 64GB model, the 512GB can have its storage upgraded at a later date or expanded with an SD card, but it offers players the chance to dive into more AAA titles on the go from the start. The 512GB LCD version also has the premium anti-glare etched glass screen, which its OLED counterpart doesn't, as this was reserved for the 1TB OLED model instead.

A comparison between the Steam Deck models is as follows, with the discounted versions italicized:

Although there are admittedly more powerful gaming handhelds on the market, the Steam Deck remains popular due to its cheaper price and the convenience of its integration with Steam, which is still the most popular game launcher on PC to date, granting players easy access to their established libraries. As the current sale ends at the same time as the main Steam Summer Sale, it's unlikely that the other models will be discounted as well, so those who want a cheaper Steam Deck should certainly look at the versions currently on offer.

Source: Steam

Steam Deck

The Steam Deck, a handheld gaming computer, was released by Valve in February 2022. Similar to the Nintendo Switch, the Steam Deck has a docking mode that allows gamers to easily connect to a full-size monitor. The computer’s screen is 7 inches across, features 1280x800 graphics, and is run on Valve’s SteamOS.

Brand

Valve

Operating System

SteamOS

Original Release Date

February 25, 2022

Original MSRP (USD)

$399-649

Weight

1.5 pounds