Worth

Valve have just announced a whole bunch of exciting new gaming hardware due to launch early in 2026 including the return of the Steam Machine and a new VR headset. The question is, where does the Steam Deck fit in? And should you buy one this Black Friday?

Since it launched back in 2022, the Steam Deck has remained largely unchanged with the only significant update being the release of the Steam Deck OLED in 2023. That doesn’t mean Valve haven’t been busy, though.

Building off of the success of the Steam Deck, Valve have just announced three new pieces of hardware including the Steam Controller, Steam Frame and a new Steam Machine.

You read that right, Valve are bringing back the Steam Machine. This time they’re not partnering with a third party like AlienWare, instead Valve are building the new Steam Machine themselves using everything they’ve learned since launching the Steam Deck. The new hardware is kind of a hybrid PC/Console, combining the power and flexibility of a PC with the ease of use of a console.

None of this new hardware has a price tag yet, but looking at Valve’s full line-up, it’s easy to see what their new strategy is and, most importantly, where the Steam Deck fits in.

The Steam Deck launched back in 2022 and has led a revolution in handheld gaming. With an estimated 4 million Steam Deck sales as of early 2025, it’s clear why Valve is doubling down on their hardware strategy with their latest product launches. 2025 has been handheld’s biggest year since the Steam Deck launched, with Xbox getting in on the action with the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X and, of course, the launch of the Switch 2, which went on to become Nintendo’s fastest selling console ever when it launched back in the summer.

“Handheld gaming is an interesting space at the moment, a lot of companies seemed to have given up on it a few years ago but I think it traces back to the Switch being really popular,” said Radio Times gaming editor Rob Leane. “But all the handhelds are all quite different, the Switch is obviously made by Nintendo so it’s got Nintendo games on there, plus a whole library of other things.”

All of this is to say, if you don’t have a Steam Deck yet and you’re thinking of buying one now might be the perfect time to pick one up.

Plus Xbox Black Friday sale and PSVR2 Black Friday sale.

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Can I still buy the Steam Deck in the UK?

Yes, the Steam Deck is available to buy from a number of retailers in the UK. You can currently get the device at Amazon from £512:

Or, you can buy it from trusted retailers such as OnBuy and Back Market, these specialise in refurbished tech, but that doesn’t mean everything they sell is secondhand, so just double check before you buy.

Is the Steam Deck still worth getting?

Given the fact that Xbox, Nintendo and Asus have all introduced major new handheld consoles in the time since the Steam Deck originally launched, you’re probably wondering if it’s worth buying. The simple answer is yes. The Steam Deck is still a fantastic handheld gaming console thanks to its balance of power, portability and the fantastic array of Steam Deck verified games you can play.

The Steam Deck OLED is probably the console we’d recommend you buy given the improved screen quality and storage bump (the LCD model has 256 GB of storage while the OLED model is available in 512 GB and 1 TB versions). The improved screen, 90 Hz refresh rate and, crucially, the improved battery life all make it worth spending the extra money on the OLED version over the LCD model. That being said, if there’s a good deal on the LCD Steam Deck this Black Friday we recommend going for it as it can still play all the same games as both consoles are pretty much identical in terms of their other specs.

“There are two types of people who would like it, one who is already big into PC games and wants to take their games with them, the other is people who are not big PC players but want to dip their toe into the water without having to buy a big gaming laptop or build their own PC,” Rob Leane said of the Steam Deck. “If you want to get into PC gaming but laptops and giant PCs aren’t for you, the Steam Deck is definitely one to go for.”

There is one caveat here we need to mention and that’s the Steam Deck 2. The Steam Deck 2 wasn’t part of Valve’s latest hardware announcements and it doesn’t seem like we’ll be getting one any time soon.

In an interview with IGN Valve software engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais said, “We’re not interested in getting to a point where it’s 20 or 30 or even 50% more performance at the same battery life. We want something a little bit more demarcated than that.”

So, it seems that until Valve has the technology available to give us a significant performance upgrade we can expect the wait for the Steam Deck 2 to continue.

Where can I buy the Steam Deck in the UK?

The Steam Deck is available from the following retailers:

Do Steam Decks go on sale on Black Friday?

Yes, Steam Decks do usually go on sale around Black Friday at many retailers. Last year we saw discounts on the Steam Deck at retailers like Amazon.

That being said, we aren’t seeing any discounts at the moment, with prices remaining pretty consistent at £349 for the 256GB LCD model, between £479 and £550 for the 512GB OLED model and £569 to £599 for the OLED model – unfortunately the pricing for the OLED has never been consistent across the different retailers.

We do predict that the Steam Deck will drop in price again on Friday 21st November, or Fake Black Friday as we like to call it here on the Technology team.

You can also take a look at the Nintendo Switch 2 Black Friday deals and the PS5 Pro Black Friday sale.