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The Steam Deck is a handled gaming PC released by Valve on February 25, 2022 running SteamOS, and designed to run games on it's Steam storefront.[1] It was designed in order to bring a desktop-like experience to console/mobile users, and for Valve to break into the consumer portable market. It came to market at $791 (512GB model), the price has fluctuated significantly since.[2]
| Basic Information | |
|---|---|
| Release Year | 2022 |
| Product Type | Gaming, Gaming Handheld |
| In Production | Yes |
| Official Website | https://store.steampowered.com/steamdeck/ |
Consumer-impact summary
The steam deck is generally seen as particularly good on the user freedom front, allowing PC-style software usage, third party storefronts, and operating system modification.[3] Some concerns do remain around how tightly users are bound to steam for the smoothest experience. Privacy-wise, the main concern is the amount of account, usage, and debug information that Steam reports back to Valve. In terms of market control, most concerns are less about lock-in and more about the company gaining outsized control over the PC handheld standards, distribution, and discoverability.[4]
Incidents
This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the Steam Deck category.
Harmful flicker/PWM on Steam Deck OLED screen
As documented in a GitHub issue, the Steam Deck OLED model uses a screen that flickers at a harmful rate due to PWM dimming. Users who are sensitive to this flicker may experience eye strain, migraines, and blurred vision as a result. One user even reported that the flicker raised their eye pressure to the point that their optometrist suspected they had glaucoma.[5]
See also
References
- ↑ "Steam Deck". Wikipedia. 2026-05-29. Archived from the original on 15 May 2026. Retrieved 2026-05-29.
- ↑ "Steam Deck [512 GB] price chart". PC Price charting. 2026-05-28. Archived from the original on 2026-01-29. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
- ↑ Thurrott, Paul (27 Feb 2022). "Gabe Newell talks Steam Deck and why the PC industry won't tolerate closed platforms". Thurrott. Archived from the original on 2022-03-21. Retrieved 2026-05-29.
- ↑ Strickland, Derek (26 Feb 2025). "Handheld PC market to hit nearly 8 million by 2025, segment growth is 'amazing' AMD's Azor says". TweakTown. Archived from the original on 2025-03-27. Retrieved 2026-05-29.
- ↑ "Analysis of the PWM of the Steam Deck LCD screen and its level of visual fatigue (and the same style of analysis for Steam Deck OLED next week)". Reddit. 2023-05-29. Archived from the original on 2025-08-21. Retrieved 2026-05-29.