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The Great Steam Deck Crash of 2026: How the New Pricing Decreased Demand by 80%

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Re: The Great Steam Deck Crash of 2026: How the New Pricing Decreased Demand by 80%

#31

Post by trollbridge »

rkozik1989 wrote: post #17
haburka wrote: post #9

I think people really underestimate the brand loyalty that valve has. They have consistently shown for 25+ years to strive for quality and I know I’m unlikely to get a headache if I purchase from them. Their hardware is really top notch, I have used a steam deck LCD for years and it was not until very recently that I had a single issue with a button that was easily fixable. Probably the purchases went down due to som…

Also, consumers are increasingly being tapped out for literally anything and everything. The demand for the things they want still exists, but they cannot readily afford it like the could in the past. Its not like all the Steam Deck customers are buying some budget friendly alternative instead. They're simply just not spending money period.

The cost of computer components going up 4X could naively be believed to eliminate 80% of demand.

Re: The Great Steam Deck Crash of 2026: How the New Pricing Decreased Demand by 80%

#32

Post by HelloUsername »

datakan wrote: post #13
haburka wrote: post #9

I think people really underestimate the brand loyalty that valve has. They have consistently shown for 25+ years to strive for quality and I know I’m unlikely to get a headache if I purchase from them. Their hardware is really top notch, I have used a steam deck LCD for years and it was not until very recently that I had a single issue with a button that was easily fixable. Probably the purchases went down due to som…

I generally find Valve's software quality subpar but their ethics to be vastly superior to anyone else's. For that reason they are the only place I'll even look for games anymore. They aren't perfect but they at least don't hate me like Epic does.

Didn't it take for Valve to lose a court case in order to offer refunds? https://web.archive.org/web/20180427063845/https://store.ste...

Also, Valve could decide at any moment what happens with your game library. Unlike GOG, where you can download and save the .exe or .dmg file, Steam can just pull the plug and make you lose all your games and money.

Re: The Great Steam Deck Crash of 2026: How the New Pricing Decreased Demand by 80%

#33

Post by Lord-Jobo »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #10

If competitors are not raising prices dramatically, then they're eating that loss. Steam should follow suit—at least with something like a loss-leader model. When I rewrote/released an old shareware game to Steam some years ago I made just enough money to buy a Steam Deck. Since then OLED Decks came out and I'm jealous. (With the prices of the new Steam Decks, I'm wondering now if there is instead a way to retrofit m…

Yep. I love valve but let’s not forget that they are making 17+ BILLION dollars a year, 50+ million per employee. Gabe seems like a pretty good guy but he bought a $70m mansion and builds yachts as a side business…

If they want to increase or keep market share they need to eat costs somewhere in this. Maybe they are positioned to do that soon if they anticipate another doubling of ram prices like Microsoft does, we can’t know their plans for future price increases.

Reports I’ve seen suggest that they are making a roughly 10% profit per Gabe Cube right now, which is considerable.

Valve will cite the idea that Sony/nintendo/xbox can sell at a loss because they are bundling in the profit from sold games on their digital stores, but there’s no guarantee Cubers will do the same. But that’s bullshit, we all know 99% of cube users will be buying shit through steam, it’s a weak defense.

Re: The Great Steam Deck Crash of 2026: How the New Pricing Decreased Demand by 80%

#34

Post by mashlol »

pipes wrote: post #27
datakan wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I generally find Valve's software quality subpar but their ethics to be vastly superior to anyone else's. For that reason they are the only place I'll even look for games anymore. They aren't perfect but they at least don't hate me like Epic does.

I used to agree with this sentiment. But now I think they engage in some nasty practices, like not allowing developers to list their games on other online stores at cheaper prices. That and they take a large cut (30 percent I think) Vs epic store at 12 percent as far as I can recall. I mostly buy from gog because they give your the download to keep for life. Also I just like them. However getting their games to work…

Valve does allow listing on other stores at other prices. They even allow you to sell Steam keys for your game on other stores for lower prices - and they earn $0 for that while still providing the infrastructure for those players to download/play.

Edit: I think for steam key sales actually you're supposed to sell for the same price as Steam, but I can't seem to find the documentatiom stating either way

Edit 2: Ah, here is something stating it "You should use Steam Keys to sell your game on other stores in a similar way to how you sell your game on Steam. It is important that you don’t give Steam customers a worse deal than Steam Key purchasers." (https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/keys)

However, I know many games have steam keys indeed available for cheaper on other stores. Not sure how much valve actually cares, or if they have special permission or what.

Re: The Great Steam Deck Crash of 2026: How the New Pricing Decreased Demand by 80%

#36

Post by jasonjmcghee »

pipes wrote: post #27
datakan wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I generally find Valve's software quality subpar but their ethics to be vastly superior to anyone else's. For that reason they are the only place I'll even look for games anymore. They aren't perfect but they at least don't hate me like Epic does.

I used to agree with this sentiment. But now I think they engage in some nasty practices, like not allowing developers to list their games on other online stores at cheaper prices. That and they take a large cut (30 percent I think) Vs epic store at 12 percent as far as I can recall. I mostly buy from gog because they give your the download to keep for life. Also I just like them. However getting their games to work…

Not trying to be an apologist for anyone, but if the epic store could charge 30%, it's hard for me to believe they wouldn't.

Re: The Great Steam Deck Crash of 2026: How the New Pricing Decreased Demand by 80%

#37

Post by pigpag »

haburka wrote: post #9

I think people really underestimate the brand loyalty that valve has. They have consistently shown for 25+ years to strive for quality and I know I’m unlikely to get a headache if I purchase from them. Their hardware is really top notch, I have used a steam deck LCD for years and it was not until very recently that I had a single issue with a button that was easily fixable. Probably the purchases went down due to som…

Not really. Have their Valvr Index and rarely use it. But one base station started making loud noise after 2 weeks but still functional. I was too lazy to ask for replacement, but the other one quietly (pun intended) died and when I found out it was out of warranty. Later I learned that the basestations are infested with quality issues. Pretty bad taste for me.

Re: The Great Steam Deck Crash of 2026: How the New Pricing Decreased Demand by 80%

#38

Post by wasfgwp »

trollbridge wrote: post #31
rkozik1989 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, consumers are increasingly being tapped out for literally anything and everything. The demand for the things they want still exists, but they cannot readily afford it like the could in the past. Its not like all the Steam Deck customers are buying some budget friendly alternative instead. They're simply just not spending money period.

The cost of computer components going up 4X could naively be believed to eliminate 80% of demand.

And most potential buyers would likely prioritize buying a PC before they consider getting a Steam Deck so it’s likely even more sensitive to price increases.

Re: The Great Steam Deck Crash of 2026: How the New Pricing Decreased Demand by 80%

#39

Post by idiotsecant »

HelloUsername wrote: post #32
datakan wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I generally find Valve's software quality subpar but their ethics to be vastly superior to anyone else's. For that reason they are the only place I'll even look for games anymore. They aren't perfect but they at least don't hate me like Epic does.

Didn't it take for Valve to lose a court case in order to offer refunds? https://web.archive.org/web/20180427063845/https://store.ste... Also, Valve could decide at any moment what happens with your game library. Unlike GOG, where you can download and save the .exe or .dmg file, Steam can just pull the plug and make you lose all your games and money.

I don't really care why the experience is the best in the industry, only that it is.
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