Much like everything nowadays, video games have become an expensive hobby to keep. Prices for current generation games continue to rise, with regular editionstopping out at $70for certain games. The PlayStation 5 recently underwenta major price hikethat saw a $200 increase to its PS5 Pro model, which when released in November 2024 wasone of the most expensive consoles ever.
And now, Valve has jumped into the mix with its own massive price hike, as the company announced on Wednesday that the popular Steam Deck handheld will have its own $200-plus increase starting immediately.
"Steam Deck OLED is back in stock, with a price increase for both models due to rising memory and storage costs," Valve saidon the Steam store page."Steam Deck itself hasn't changed; these new prices reflect the current state of component costs and other global logistical challenges across the industry as a whole. We’ll keep you updated if anything changes."
The Steam Deck previously had three models, but the original LCD model released in 2022 wasdiscontinued in Decemberin favor of the two OLED editions. Both OLED editions have increased in price with this recent news.
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This price hike is yet another blow to gamers and the video game industry as a whole.Hardware prices have skyrocketedthanks to the AI boom, with the biggest pain points the increasing prices of storage (such as SSDs) and memory (RAM) alongside the lack of supply. In response, many companies have increased prices to compensate, but those price hikes have caused hardware sales toreach a 35-year lowas gamers tighten their belts thanks to the overall state of the economy.
No one is safe from these price increases it seems. Even the unflappable Nintendo hasslightly increasedthe price of the Switch 2 recently due to the "impact of various changes in market conditions".
It's a bad sign all around if you're a video game enjoyer and it doesn't seem like this crisis will be ending anytime soon.
This article originally appeared on For The Win:Valve's Steam Deck price increase is a brutal blow for gaming industry