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Windows Central
Windows Central
Technology
Adam Hales

The Steam Deck OLED is quietly vanishing from storefronts — and fans are asking questions

A Steam Deck displaying a red screen with two X-ed out eyes and a frown. .

Steam Deck is Valve’s own handheld console, and an impressive one at that. It runs SteamOS, a Linux-based operating system built by Valve with gaming at the core of the experience, and Steam as the focal storefront.

That said, you are not locked into that ecosystem if you are willing to tinker.

Valve stopped producing the Steam Deck LCD, its most affordable model, last year. That left the Steam Deck OLED as the only version still in production.

Now, users have begun noticing that the Steam Deck OLED has seemingly gone out of stock across the US and several Asian regions.

Regions where the Steam Deck OLED is currently sold out include the US and Canada, as well as Komodo, Valve’s official distributor for Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Is this a temporary shortage or something bigger?

Steam Deck store page (Image credit: Valve)

Spotted by popular deal hunter Wario64 on X, last night, and further reported on by sites like TomsHardware.

Valve has yet to comment on the lack of stock in the US and parts of Asia. Europe, however, still appears to have inventory, and here in the U,K there is even Steam Deck LCD stock available, which is surprising given production officially ended last year.

There are also reports of stock potentially returning in some regions, though there is currently no indication of when that might happen in the US or Canada

Given current market conditions, with RAM and storage prices climbing and showing little sign of stabilizing, some are speculating that Valve could raise hardware prices. That remains purely speculation for now.

If we keep the tin foil hat on for a moment, rumors of a Steam Deck 2 have circulated for years. Valve has previously said it does not want to release a successor unless it represents a meaningful leap in performance, and at today’s pricing and power levels, that moment may not have arrived yet.

Valve has also reportedly delayed its Steam Machine plans due to rising component costs, which have been heavily impacted by AI-driven demand.

There is still a strong chance this is simply a temporary stock fluctuation and nothing more. If that changes, we will update this article accordingly.

For now, there are other capable handheld options available, including the Xbox Ally. Microsoft is gradually refining the handheld experience on Windows to feel more console-like, bringing it closer to the simplicity that makes SteamOS so appealing on Steam Deck.

Do you think this is just a temporary stock issue, or could something bigger be happening with Steam Deck? Let us know your thoughts in the comments and make sure to take part in our poll below:


Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.


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