It’s easy to be spoilt for choice when it comes to nifty handheld PCs, but the Steam Deck remains a true champ. Combining an easy pick-up-and-go ethos with a decent price against its competitors, the console recently crossed its third anniversary. On this celebratory occasion, new data claims that Steam Deck has possibly crossed a major milestone.
According to a recent report from The Verge, the Steam Deck is allegedly past the four million mark of units shipped. The estimated figure comes from an analysis of the portable gaming console space by market research firm International Data Corporation. With a combined total of over six million units for the Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, MSI Claw, and Lenovo Legion Go, the report adds that “50% of the 2023 shipments and 48% of the 2024 shipments are the [Steam] Deck as well.”
These estimations, however, don’t include retro handhelds or other consoles like the GPD, Ayaneo, and OneXPlayer. Previously, Valve designers Lawrence Yang and Pierre-Loup Griffais told The Verge in November 2023 that Steam Deck sales were in the “multiple millions.” Since the Steam Deck launched in February 2022, other competitors have wanted to get their slice of the pie, giving way to some truly fantastic consoles in its wake. You can check out our Asus ROG Ally X review and Lenovo Legion Go review for proof of that.
Even though many of the Steam Deck’s rivals outperform on paper and in function, the appeal of the Steam Deck’s simplicity is undeniable. While Lenovo and MSI are chasing major hardware upgrades in handhelds like the Lenovo Legion Go 2 or MSI Claw AI+ 8, Valve’s focus remained streamlined and minimal – as highlighted in our Steam Deck OLED review.
I personally opt for the Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme, but even with Armoury Crate or third-party launchers like Playnite, it doesn’t quite come close to the approachability Valve offers. However, the upcoming early access period to Winhanced could get me close.
What is clear is that the Steam Deck and all other handheld PCs have a long way to go before they even step on the toes of mainstays like the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo disclosed in December 2024 that lifetime sales for the Nintendo Switch had moved past 150 million, comfortably placing it behind the Nintendo DS as the third best-selling console of all time. When the Nintendo Switch 2 launches later this year, we’ll be eager to see how fast it can climb.
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