In a somewhat surprising twist, Steam Deck is getting a price hike in the Asian countries of Japan, Taiwan, and Korea, starting March 6, but it has nothing to do with RAM shortages or component price hikes, as has been the case for several other similar price hikes for consoles, handhelds, and storage devices.
As first reported by Famitsu, the Steam Deck OLED is, according to KOMODO, receiving a price increase as a result of careful consideration, taking into account the rising logistics costs that have continued since the console's launch, as well as recent fluctuations in the exchange rate environment.
Prices in Japan, which will increase by ¥15,000, will now be as follows:
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99,800 yen for the 512GB model (previous price: 84,800 yen)
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114,800 yen for the 1TB model (previous price: 99,800 yen)
In Taiwan:
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New Taiwan Dollar TWD 18,980 for the 512GB model (old price TWD 18,880)
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TWD 22,480 TWD for the 1TB model (old price TWD 21,989)
In Korea:
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South Korean won 898,000 for the 512GB model (previously priced at 839,000 KRW)
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1,048,000 KRW for the 1TB model (previously priced at 989,000 KRW)
Prices in Hong Kong will remain the same, according to the release.
Steam Deck is the first of many video game RAM shortage tragedies
Valve's handheld is currently out of stock due to RAM and memory shortages.
These increases come on the heels of the Steam Deck being completely out of stock in the US, with its now-discontinued LCD model, plus its OLED models no longer being available for purchase, at least for now.
It's the Wild Wild West of pricing
“Note: Steam Deck OLED may occasionally be out of stock in some regions due to memory and storage shortages. Steam Deck LCD 256GB is no longer in production, and once sold out will no longer be available,” read a disclaimer on Valve's own website.
Whether future price increases, due to RAM shortages, will ultimately pay off remains to be seen. It's also equally unclear whether Steam will raise prices the same way in the US when its own consoles return to stock.
Either way, consumers are feeling completely squeezed by the AI boom shorting every imaginable piece of electronics, forcing price hikes across the board. Recently, viral dual-screen OLED emulator AYN Thor announced its intentions for a second price hike.
If that wasn't enough cause for concern, one of the largest video game preservation projects has announced its intentions to shut down due to rising costs and the inability to bolster its hard drives and other necessities.
The situation has put companies in a tough spot, with Sony considering a longer life cycle for its PlayStation 5 consoles, and Nintendo possibly having to count on a price hike on its not-even-a-year-old Switch 2, all for much the same reason.
If you can swing it, there really is no better time to buy things than right now.
- Stamp
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steam (valve)
- Original release date
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February 25, 2022
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$399-$649
- Operating system
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SteamOS 3 (Ark-based)
- Processor
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Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5 GHz (up to 448 GFlops FP32)
- Resolution
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1200 x 800
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