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Three Years On: The Steam Deck’s Dominance in Handheld PC Gaming Shipments

Three Years On: The Steam Deck's Dominance in Handheld PC Gaming Shipments

Today marks three years since the launch of Valve’s Steam Deck, a device that has played a key role in establishing the handheld gaming PC market. While it initially faced several challenges, recent data from The Verge reveals that the Steam Deck has risen to dominate this emerging market. Valve shared in November 2023 that they sold “multiple millions” of these devices, but only now do we have clearer insights into how the Steam Deck compares to its competitors, particularly those powered by Windows. It appears that the Steam Deck’s success surpasses the total sales of all its Windows-based rivals combined.

To understand the sales better, market researchers at IDC analyzed the supply chain to estimate how many handheld gaming devices have been sold worldwide. They even agreed to separate the Steam Deck and other Windows handhelds in their analysis. The results showed estimated combined shipments for the Steam Deck, along with rivals like the Asus ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and MSI Claw, from 2022 to 2025.

Adding up the numbers, we find nearly 6 million units shipped in just three years. However, this may not seem as remarkable when we consider IDC’s forecast of less than 2 million shipments expected in 2025, suggesting that the market might not be expanding rapidly. Conversely, there is an argument that this market is still in its early stages; for example, Meta’s Ray-Bans only sold 2 million pairs in their early years, yet the company now anticipates selling 10 million pairs each year.

AMD’s gaming marketing head, Frank Azor, expressed enthusiasm about the IDC figures, noting that we have evolved from having no handheld gaming PCs to seeing millions of units shipped. However, the Steam Deck constitutes a significant portion of those shipments. IDC estimates that all units shipped in 2022 were Steam Decks, with over half of 2023 and almost half of 2024 shipments being the same. Hence, Valve may have sold over 3.7 million units, possibly even hitting the 4 million mark by now.

It’s worth mentioning that IDC’s numbers do not account for Chinese companies like GPD, Ayaneo, and OneXPlayer, which may also contribute to the handheld gaming market, although on a smaller scale so far.

Considering the relatively low projected sales of Windows handhelds, it isn’t surprising that major chip makers like AMD and Intel have not invested heavily in creating new custom chips geared for handhelds. It has been reported that some early Windows handheld buyers returned their devices at higher rates than expected.

Many hope AMD will promote the Steam Deck, especially given that competing devices like the Lenovo Legion Go S have not outperformed the Steam Deck, despite being newer. The Steam Deck’s success isn’t solely attributed to its hardware; it boasts an easy-to-use SteamOS that provides a smooth experience for players, allowing them to quickly switch to sleep mode and resume gameplay. Moreover, Valve’s software ensures that many Windows games often run better on Linux than on their native operating system, making the Steam Deck a versatile handheld.

The competitive pricing of the Steam Deck also plays a role in its popularity; it is priced more like a console rather than a gaming laptop. Its design allows users to adjust performance settings easily to maximize battery life. Players can even access games from different platforms, such as streaming PlayStation games or using software to access other gaming libraries.

With no other handheld device approaching the Steam Deck’s sales figures, it has carved a unique niche. Despite some devices appearing appealing, they often come at a much higher price point. While there are concerns over future gaming requirements surpassing the Steam Deck’s capabilities, Valve has indicated they will not rush to introduce a successor until they can significantly improve performance without sacrificing battery life.

Given the current state of the gaming landscape, with new consoles likely years away from release, there are compelling reasons to consider buying a Steam Deck now, unless a new, powerful rival emerges.

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