The topic Valve’s price hike reportedly wipes out 82% of Steam Deck sales as it goes into… is currently the subject of lively discussion — readers and analysts are keeping a close eye on developments.
This is taking place in a dynamic environment: companies’ decisions and competitors’ reactions can quickly change the picture.
As the hardware crisis begins to bite, console manufacturers have had to increase their prices, and the Steam Deck was no exception. We saw the entry-level model increase from $549 to $789, causing concerns that potential buyers have been priced out. If one report is to be believed, those fears have come true, as Steam Deck sales have plummeted by around 82%.
The report comes to us via Boiling Steam, which previously ran a report that the Steam Machine was selling up to 15,000 units a week. It did this by looking at the Steam Machine’s position on the Top Sellers chart and estimating how many units sold by comparing it to the entries directly above and below it.
Boiling Steam did a similar check on the Steam Deck, comparing what it was like pre-price adjustment to today. Ever since Valve hiked up the price, the Steam Deck has fallen from around rank 4-5 down to 10-15. It doesn’t sound too bad a shift on paper, especially if Valve makes more money per sale now, but Boiling Steam crunched some numbers and found something worrying:
Despite the price increase, the Steam Deck is earning Valve around 72% less money than it did in 2025. Plus, the company is selling 82% fewer Steam Decks than it did before, going from a max of 18,000 units to a measly 3,000. Boiling Steam calls this “a near-total collapse in physical demand,” and I’m inclined to agree.
Of course, this is all extrapolated from publicly facing data, and isn’t an exact science. However, it is, at the very least, an educated guess as to how the Steam Deck price spike harmed its sales. Chin up, Valve; at least you’re not selling a $5,299 handheld.
I’m struggling to see how the Steam Machine could succeed as a PC or console