The large image: Launched three years in the past at this time, Valve’s Steam Deck has develop into one of the crucial notable merchandise in PC gaming {hardware}, creating a wholly new market section. Whereas producers like GPD started promoting handheld gaming PCs years earlier, estimates from IDC present that the Steam Deck vastly dominates the market. Nevertheless, the potential for future progress stays unsure.
In accordance with IDC estimates offered to The Verge, roughly six million handheld gaming PCs have been bought because the Steam Deck’s launch in 2022. Regardless of having little retail presence, Valve’s handheld accounts for over 3.7 million of these items.
Valve beforehand acknowledged that the Steam Deck had bought within the “a number of thousands and thousands.” IDC estimates recommend that it bought 1.62 million items in 2022, with complete lifetime gross sales probably exceeding 4 million by now.
Information supply: IDC and The Verge
Mixed shipments of the Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and MSI Claw peaked at roughly 2.87 million in 2023, dropped to 1.49 million final yr, and are projected to succeed in just below two million by the tip of 2025.
The Steam Deck represents about half of the gross sales in each 2023 and 2024. These estimates don’t embody gross sales from firms like GPD and Ayaneo, whose market affect is troublesome to find out.
Though these figures don’t point out robust progress, AMD’s head of gaming advertising and marketing, Frank Azor, described the market’s enlargement from just about zero to 6 million items in three years as “wonderful.” AMD’s upcoming Ryzen Z2 chips are anticipated to energy a brand new era of handheld gaming PCs beginning this yr.
That stated, the Nintendo Change 2 has little to fret about. The largest problem dealing with the upcoming handheld console could also be convincing its predecessor’s large 150-million-strong set up base to improve. Nevertheless, handheld gaming PCs and conventional consoles function beneath vastly completely different enterprise fashions, making direct comparisons troublesome.
Additionally learn: The Historical past of Handheld Gaming PCs – From Humble Beginnings to the Way forward for PC Gaming
For the reason that Steam Deck and comparable gadgets are an extension of PC gaming, analyzing their efficiency in opposition to gaming laptops or pre-built PC gross sales would possibly present extra significant insights. Earlier reviews from IDC and different analysts recommend that whereas the general PC market noticed modest progress final yr, PC gaming continues to increase at a wholesome tempo.
Whether or not the Steam Deck – or the enlargement of its SteamOS working system – can additional drive this progress stays unsure. The machine is just accessible in a restricted variety of nations and receives virtually no advertising and marketing exterior of the Steam consumer.
Do not count on a Steam Deck 2 anytime quickly, although. As different handheld gaming PCs undertake sooner processors, Valve is holding off till a “generational” leap with comparable battery life turns into possible.
