Mobile gamers, rejoice. The Steam Deck, introduced by Valve in early 2022, is now officially being sold by the PC gaming giant in Australia, a market the handheld gaming PC has long officially dodged, despite being a popular purchase through third-party retailers.
The Steam Deck’s official arrival in Australia was somewhat teased back in the middle of September. Our friends over on PC Gamer noted that Valve’s appearance at PAX Australia, the country’s largest gaming convention, would feature Steam as a big ticket guest. Not Valve the company, but instead the Steam subsidiary through which the Steam Deck is managed.
Lo and behold, it was because of the Steam Deck, marking its official debut in Australia. The Deck will start shipping from November, with three different models on offer:
- 256GB w/LCD display: $649
- 512GB w/OLED display: $899
- 1TB w/OLED display: $1049
Up until now, the only way Aussies have been able to purchase the Steam Deck is by going through third-party importers (such as vendors on Kogan and Amazon), or by purchasing the device in a market where it’s available and using a shipping forwarder. By comparison, here’s what you’d be spending on these devices from a third party today (understanding that they’d be originally from another region):
- 256GB w/LCD display: AU$699 on Kogan | AU$795 on Amazon
- 512GB w/OLED display: AU$1,029 on Kogan | AU$1,029 on Amazon
- 1TB w/OLED display: AU$1,229 on Kogan | AU$1,229 on Amazon
It’s little wonder that the Steam Deck is cheaper through Valve officially, even if only slightly, as there’s now no third party to take a cut. That being said, if you’ve got a gift card or are keenly eyed for a discount, you may want to wait around for a discount on Kogan or Amazon before you pick up one of these devices – especially if you're waiting for a Black Friday deal.
In our original Steam Deck review, we gave the device a TechRadar Recommends seal of approval. Good performance and an innovative design led our praise, atop an already-huge library of games to play, though middling battery life and software quirks didn’t go unnoticed.
We also reviewed the Steam Deck OLED, a refreshed model with a nicer display released just over a year after the original model, and praised it for its design, its vivid OLED display and its competitive price. Being fair, the tech is still quite cumbersome for on-the-go use, and although battery life has improved, it’s still not great.
When the Steam Deck OLED first debuted, it set off an enthusiastic chain reaction amid manufacturers and gamers alike. The device proved so popular that it was often not available in the few markets it launched in, and it wouldn’t take long for other tech companies to follow-up Valve with their own ‘handheld PCs’. Asus’s Rog Ally was one of the first answers to the Steam Deck, as were the MSI Claw, Lenovo Legion Go and several products from Ayaneo, but many of these devices were held back by the same common issue – Windows 11.
Windows operating systems are, as you’d expect, not built to be used in a handheld form factor. Mouse and keyboard inputs don’t gel too well with a controller-first form factor. This is the strength of the Steam Deck, as it doesn’t run on Windows (though, for non-Steam games, you can install Windows).
This, combined with an APU designed in tandem with AMD, makes the Steam Deck a more attractive proposition for many gamers – particularly ones that swear by the Steam Store.
So is it finally time to buy a Steam Deck in Australia?
I can safely say that I’ll be buying the 512GB OLED model. I’ve been waiting for the Steam Deck to arrive officially in Australia for years, though I've been skittish on purchasing a third-party import for reasons relating to the warranty. I have so many games on my Steam account that I’ve been meaning to play but don’t really want to touch when I’m at my desk.
All of this said, it's worth noting that the Steam Deck isn't a ‘one size fits all’ solution for mobile gaming. Though you can install Windows on the device, it has quirks when running the OS that wouldn't happen on a similarly intended gaming laptop. The best laptops would also obviously outperform the Steam Deck, but if the Nintendo Switch has taught us anything, it's that it's hard to beat that handheld feeling.
The Steam Deck will officially go on sale in November, though Valve has not shared a specific date at this time.
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