The Steam Summer Sale, like summer itself, is sadly well behind us, but Valve is beating one of its best deals on its own gaming handheld. That’s because in addition to the Steam Deck LCD with 256GB of storage once again selling for $296.65 (around $52 off), the 512GB version, complete with its fancier antiglare etched screen, is selling for a new low of $336.75 (about $112 off).
Whichever Steam Deck you choose, you’re getting an excellent PC gaming handheld with a seven-inch, 1280 x 800 display that’s compatible with many games on Steam. It may be a couple years old and not as nice as the refreshed Steam Deck OLED model, but it’s hard to beat even the cheapest Deck when it comes to playing indie games and even some massive open-world AAA titles that are tuned well for it — like Elden Ring. Plus, it’s such a flexible platform that allows you to install all kinds of things, including apps for in-home console game streaming, GeForce Now cloud streaming, and even a whole Windows OS.
The Steam Deck started out a little buggy and unfinished when it came out in early 2022, but after frequent updates and the addition of new features via software, it’s now an easy recommendation for even the non-tinkering types. Other formidable handhelds have come after it, but many are either clunkier to use (thanks, Windows) or, in the case of the excellent Asus ROG Ally X, much pricier.
