The most affordable Steam Deck, the $399 LCD model, is currently unavailable in the US, and it looks like it won’t be returning. The Steam Deck website notes: “We are no longer producing the Steam Deck LCD 256GB model. Once sold out, it will no longer be available.” As it stands, it’s not in stock on the US site.
Valve’s choice to discontinue the Steam Deck LCD is disappointing for many fans. This means the least expensive option now becomes the 512GB OLED model, which retails for $549—a significant jump from the previous entry-level model.
We’ve reached out to Valve for more information but haven’t received a response yet. Without an official explanation, we can only guess why the Steam Deck LCD was phased out. Andy Hales from Windows Central speculates that increasing costs of RAM and storage (thanks to AI) may have made it tough to keep offering a handheld at that price.
The PC gaming handheld market is much stronger now than when the Steam Deck launched in 2022, but it seems unlikely that other brands like Lenovo, ASUS, or GPD will fill that entry-level gap anytime soon.
