Valve Officially Discontinued the LCD Steam Deck

There are many gaming laptops to choose from these days.But The Steam Deck is undoubtedly a fan favorite.. Just as the Nintendo Switch introduced handheld console gaming to the world, the Steam Deck has pioneered bringing PC gaming to a portable form factor, even if it stretches the definition of “handheld.” Part of the Steam Deck's initial appeal is its price: While you can opt for an upgraded model with an OLED display and expanded internal storage, you can also get a model with an LCD display and a 256GB SSD for a reasonable $399. For less than the price of a Switch 2, you can get something that plays the entire Steam library with its huge variations in games. This is a lot, perhaps too much.

If you go to Valve's official Steam Deck website,and as you scroll down to view the hardware options, you'll notice something interesting: While there are plenty of 512GB and 1TB Steam OLED decks in stock ready for purchase, entry-level LCD models are “out of stock.” Of course, hardware sales aren't uncommon, with other popular devices like the Switch 2 selling out quickly and sometimes being hard to find. Valve is expected to release more Steam LCD decks so that gamers can buy the platform without spending an extra $150 on the 512GB OLED model.

However, it doesn't look like the LCD Steam Deck is coming back anytime soon, or at all. While it's easy to miss if you're just looking at the purchase links themselves, scroll down Valve's site a little further and you'll see the following footnote: “We are no longer producing the Steam Deck LCD 256GB model. Once it sells out, it will no longer be available.” And since this item is currently out of stock, it's fair to say that the LCD Steam Deck is no longer available.

Valve has no official reason for discontinuing the LCD Steam Deck, but some suggest The main reason is rising prices for components, namely RAM and storage. These computing parts are rapidly rising in pricewhich could force companies like Valve to reduce their hardware selection. Why spend expensive resources on a $399 machine when you can push some potential buyers toward a $549 machine instead?

Can you buy LCD Steam Deck anywhere else?

Short answer? Yes, but I would advise you not to do this. The most reliable seller to buy a Steam Deck from is Valve itself. Otherwise, you could either overpay for your Steam Deck or possibly become a victim of fraud. Take this listing is on Amazonfor example, where the model costs $459.99. The seller made a mistake in the name of the device and marked it as “Clothing”. While it might be tempting to save $90 over the official 512GB OLED model, I'd skip Amazon's option. Another shady Amazon seller there is a 256GB model for $829.99.Bye Selling the 512GB OLED model for $899.99.. Again, this is either highway robbery or a good old fashioned scam.

If you're dead set on not spending $549 on a new Steam deck, you might want to look at the used game market, but even then, things are tough. People don't really sell these things, and when they do, they sell them for quite a high price. You might have better luck on a site like eBay.where I currently see several Steam OLED decks selling for around $400. But be careful: buying used items from a third-party seller can be risky. Without proper security systems in place, you may be better off using official hardware from Valve.