Since its release in 2022, Valve’s Steam Deck has become one of the most popular ways to play PC games on the go. Selling nearly 6 million units and capturing nearly 50% of the entire PC handheld market, it’s safe to say that the Steam Deck is a pretty popular device. And even when stacked up against the competition, the Steam Deck holds its own in 2025.
At present, Valve has three models of the Steam Deck on offer, but it’s the base LCD model of the console that’s currently on sale. The LCD Steam Deck features 256GB of storage, a 60Hz refresh rate, and a 40Whr battery. While the base LCD Steam Deck does feature a smaller battery compared to the 50Whr of the OLED models, there are ways you can extend your Steam Deck’s battery.
The ongoing sale which lasts through October 6, will save you 20% off the $399 price tag. This means you can take home a Steam Deck for only $319.20. While the OLED models of the Steam Deck aren’t currently being discounted, the entry-level LCD Steam Deck is still a great choice for those entering the handheld PC market. It’s a hard deal to pass up on when you consider that the current slate of Steam Deck competitors are priced starting at roughly $600 and up.
One of the best ways to play on the go
One of the best reasons to pick up a Steam Deck is gaining access to the expansive Steam library. Chances are that you are already a part of the Steam ecosystem if you game on PC, with Valve’s digital game store accounting for $10.8 billion in sales in 2024. With Steam holding a 75% market share across digital game stores, the PC titles that you want to play are likely available.
Searching SteamDB shows that there are nearly 150,000 games on the platform. This means that if a game was ever released for the PC, it’s probably for sale right now on Steam. If not, there are ways non-Steam games can be played on the console through open-source software. Add in the fact that Steam has big sales every few months on PC games, and you’ll be able to load up on titles without breaking the bank.
With the ongoing tariff situation leading to price hikes across all major console manufacturers, it’s impressive that Valve has kept prices on the Steam Deck from going up. With Xbox recently seeing its second price hike this year and Nintendo raising the price on the now 8-year-old Nintendo Switch to $340, picking up an LCD Steam Deck on sale this week might be the most cost-effective gaming purchase you’ll make all year.
