Steam Deck sold out in US and Asia, Valve silent on shortage

The Steam Deck is sold out in the US

Every model of Valve's Steam Deck is currently listed as out of stock on its official US store. This includes the discontinued LCD model, both Steam Deck OLED variants, and all certified refurbished units.

The shortage was first highlighted by deals tracker Wario64. While stock initially remained in some other countries, availability has since dried up in parts of Asia as well.

Valve has not provided an official comment on the sudden, widespread shortage. The company is the only official retailer for new Steam Decks in the United States.

Possible reasons for the shortage

The most likely culprit is the ongoing global memory crisis. Prices for RAM have doubled or even tripled as AI data centers consume supply, which could finally be impacting Steam Deck production.

This theory is supported by a blog post from Valve last week. The company stated its upcoming Steam Machine and Steam Frame hardware are being impacted by "memory and storage shortages."

Valve noted it must revisit the shipping schedule and pricing for those devices due to "limited availability and growing prices of these critical components." The same issues may now be affecting the Steam Deck.

Other potential explanations include:

• A temporary logistics hiccup that could be resolved quickly.
• Uncertainty around new tariffs, as it's unclear if gaming consoles or their individual components are exempt from recent increases on Chinese goods.

Where to look for alternatives

Buying from unofficial, secondhand sellers is not advised due to heavily marked-up prices and uncertain device condition. GameStop's certified refurbished units are also out of stock.

Several compelling handheld PC alternatives are available from other manufacturers. Key options include:

• The Lenovo Legion Go S ($600), which is slightly more powerful than the Steam Deck and uses the same SteamOS.
• The premium Lenovo Legion Go 2 with more power and an OLED screen.
• The Asus ROG Xbox Ally X, which may appeal to console gamers but has had software shortcomings.

The current market offers a strong selection of PC gaming handhelds for those unwilling to wait for Steam Deck stock to return.