The massive image: Launched three years in the past as we speak, Valve’s Steam Deck has turn out to be one of many most notable merchandise in PC gaming {hardware}, creating a completely new market phase. Whereas producers like GPD started promoting handheld gaming PCs years earlier, estimates from IDC present that the Steam Deck vastly dominates the market. Nonetheless, the potential for future development stays unsure.
In keeping 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 models.
Valve beforehand said that the Steam Deck had bought within the “a number of thousands and thousands.” IDC estimates recommend that it bought 1.62 million models in 2022, with complete lifetime gross sales presumably 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 achieve slightly below two million by the top 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 corporations like GPD and Ayaneo, whose market influence is troublesome to find out.
Though these figures don’t point out robust development, AMD’s head of gaming advertising, Frank Azor, described the market’s growth from nearly zero to 6 million models in three years as “superb.” AMD’s upcoming Ryzen Z2 chips are anticipated to energy a brand new technology of handheld gaming PCs beginning this yr.
That stated, the Nintendo Change 2 has little to fret about. The largest problem going through the upcoming handheld console could also be convincing its predecessor’s large 150-million-strong set up base to improve. Nonetheless, 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 units are an extension of PC gaming, analyzing their efficiency towards gaming laptops or pre-built PC gross sales would possibly present extra significant insights. Earlier stories from IDC and different analysts recommend that whereas the total PC market noticed modest development final yr, PC gaming continues to increase at a wholesome tempo.
Whether or not the Steam Deck – or the growth of its SteamOS working system – can additional drive this development stays unsure. The system is just out there in a restricted variety of nations and receives virtually no advertising outdoors of the Steam shopper.
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.
