The Steam Deck is getting more expensive and is a symbol of the end of a golden age: The advantages of gaming handhelds and their innovations are being consumed by high prices. A look ahead to 2026.
With the introduction of the Steam Deck in 2022 handheld gaming experienced an unprecedented boom. Numerous manufacturers soon brought their own models to the market: ASUS, MSI, Lenovo, and Zotac, to name just a few.
Handhelds always fulfilled their own special niche: They aimed to be an affordable alternative to PCs and consoles, giving users the opportunity to play their favorite games with minor compromises on the go.
However, the high prices are ending the golden age of handhelds in a rather drastic way.
High prices and RAM crisis nullify the advantage of handhelds
A few years ago, you had to pay 500 or 600 euros for a Steam Deck or a comparable handheld. This offered a relatively affordable entry into the gaming world without having to buy an expensive console or gaming PC.
In particular, the Steam Deck was considered affordable and an absolute value-for-money recommendation, even though Valve had to admit back then that the Steam Deck was narrowly priced.
But the sharply rising prices have nullified that advantage: For a Steam Deck OLED, you now have to pay almost 1,000 euros.
Now that prices seem completely out of control, gaming handhelds are viewed as expensive luxury items to buy comfort and mobility at a high cost. For business travelers
Potential buyers have become much more cautious in deciding what to spend their money on. The devices are now too expensive for their original purpose. Just a general look at the current models and new announcements is enough:
- The Asus Xbox Ally X currently costs around 1,000 euros.
- For the Lenovo Legion Go S, you pay at least 1,600 euros for the standard configuration.
- For the Lenovo Legion Go 2, you pay almost 2,000 euros.
- The MSI Claw 8 AI now costs 1,299 euros after price adjustments.
- The Aya Neo Next was supposed to start at 2,000 euros, the manufacturer ended the pre-orders due to high RAM prices.
- Even the ROG XBOX Ally X20 presented at Computex 2026 in Taiwan is expected to be priced over 1,000 euros.
Moreover: Not only have buyers become more cautious, but manufacturers have too: There are hardly any innovations left; instead, they rely on functioning ideas.
Overall, the situation clearly shows: Gaming handhelds are no longer affordable mobile alternatives and cost not only more than regular game consoles (PS5, Xbox, and Switch 2) but also almost as much as a mid-range gaming PC.
And you can still upgrade a gaming PC afterward, even if you then have to forgo the mobility of handhelds.
Valve has drastically raised the price of the Steam Deck, unofficially burying the Steam Machine. Currently, there is little chance that the Steam Machine will be able to come to market at reasonable prices. You can read more about it on MeinMMO: Valve has just finished the Steam Machine and no one noticed
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