Is it a Good Idea to Buy a Steam Deck Right Now?

The Steam Deck is the current icon of the new trend in PC Handhelds, and after having been out for a couple years I wanted to double check in on whether or now now is a good time to get one. Whether because of competing other handhelds or the possibilities of a new model or price drop anywhere in the near future, let's talk about the options for grabbing a Steam Deck today and whether or not now is the right time.

Timestamps:
Intro 0:00
Current Steam Deck Options? 0:28
What About Other PC Handhelds? 6:18
Is Steam Deck 2 Soon? 9:44
Price Drops? 11:35
Final Thoughts: 12:40

⚡️Social Network Things!⚡️

[VeeFerns]

me watching this on my steam deck oled:

[t.fernbach]

Sold my PS5 back in December, got a Steam Deck, never looked back.

[Omega_XX]

Honestly, I dont think 2025 would be the year of a new steam deck. It goes against their idea they had for the steam deck refresh cycle. 2026 would be reasonable. Part of their idea of having a long refresh cycle is having something to work on, something to work towards. It has a large user base, abandoning it for a new model too soon, would cause fragmentation. It's largely why so many titles kept releasing with ps4 versions years after the ps5 release. Consumers are not so ready to go and move to a new platform, especially in the current economy.

[Hey-Its-Dingo]

"YouTubers do a 5 minute Google search of the sponsors they take" challenge level: impossible.
(Great video otherwise)

[jarathen]

Feel like it's the minority who say "Just use an SD Card, you don't NEED to pop the Deck open". But it's refreshing to hear because it's true.

[DarthAndre]

As a Medical Doctor who also games as a hobby, I use my Steam Deck more than my 4070 gaming PC unless I absolutely need to play with AAA titles like Forbidden West. So yes it’s not too late to buy one unless there’s a new one coming.

I’ve also bought a portable monitor, keyboard and mouse and I intend to use it as a “tablet PC” at work instead of my iPad Pro M2 since Stage Manager is clunky. That’s how good the Steam Deck is.

[emanhero]

Wow just my luck a video came out right before I bought one! Thank so much!

[iamdickel]

there will never be a "not a good time to buy a steam deck"

[paynomind]

thanks kevin i am contemplating buying my first steam deck and this video popped up in my feed! perfect timing!

[kasjamm]

Mine came in a couple days ago. It's amazing. I sold my LCD to my sister.

[diamondly]

the reason i think the steam deck is the best is the support it gets and will keep getting

[LuckyLynette]

I literally just got my steam deck oled yesterday and I love it.

[verse]

Just got my deck. Completely happy with my purchase. It's been great.

[PositionOffsetGaming]

The console like nature of the SteamDeck is what makes it special

[yourboyrussell]

Speaking from experience, yeah - it's worth it.

Especially if you're knee-deep into Valve's ecosystem and/or have a massive backlog a mile long, the Deck is amazing for that.

And hell, if you're into emulation, it is hands-down one of the best options available. Especially once you get EmuDeck up and running.

Best of all is that the Deck is basically a Linux PC in a handheld package, so if you wanted to use it as your main computer, you can.

It's the closest there is to a modern-day PSP, seeing as everything the PSP did, the Deck does it better, and in a modern package to go with it.

[morganhowe]

Dude I've been contemplating this for months, thanks for your input!

[zempo]

*Sigh* another better help sponsored video...

[ctjpierce]

I literally just traded in a Series X for $390 to Gamestop, bought Steam gift cards with credit ($200 at a time) and then bought a steam deck 2 days ago. Wasn't using xbox, and can still access game pass via cloud.

[MrRoundthetwist]

Bought one this year
Best gaming purchase I’ve made in a long time (since PS4 in 2014)

[grahamgilmore]

I literally just ordered mine yesterday. Can’t wait for it to get here.