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There won’t be a Steam Deck 2 this year. Valve staff already confirmed it in a recent interview. Instead of teasing any new hardware, the PC game retail giant did its best Pawn Stars impression Monday, telling ravenous handheld fans that “the best I can do is a white Steam Deck OLED.” However, anybody hoping to beat the scalpers should know that once they’re gone, Valve won’t be making any more of them.
Valve unveiled the upcoming white limited edition Steam Deck on the company’s Twitter page. According to Valve, the white Steam Deck is the same exact OLED-based device Valve released last year, but the device comes in a sporty, off-white color with gray buttons and thumbsticks. It will cost as much as the previous 1 TB translucent plastic Steam Deck OLED at $680, but it also comes with a white carrying case and white microfiber cleaning cloth (which is, apparently, a selling point). The power button still includes the orange accent as the only spot of extra color.
These will become available Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. ET, 3 p.m. PT. They’ll be available in the U.S., Australia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Valve said it has “limited quantities” of white Steam Decks for all regions. To try and beat the scalpers, Valve declared it’s restricting purchases to one per account. Those accounts have to have bought something else on Steam before November to be eligible. However, we don’t imagine that will completely stop resellers from flooding eBay with marked-up white Steam Decks, like they did with the limited edition 30th anniversary PlayStation 5 Pro.
The regular 1 TB Steam Deck goes for $650 MSRP, and if you want to save the extra $30 and put it towards a skin or dock, that’s perfectly reasonable. Valve’s handheld is easily the best of its kind in its price range. The next step for gaming handhelds is a Lenovo Legion Go or an Asus ROG Ally X, which cost hundreds of dollars extra in exchange for more powerful devices that run Windows instead of the Linux-based SteamOS. Windows also allows for easier dual booting and fewer compatibility issues loading your games from non-Steam launchers. Still, if you want the most straightforward experience, the Steam Deck is still the gold standard for PC handhelds.
I enjoy my Steam Deck as much as the next gamer who can’t be bothered to sit at their desk. Just this week, I spent a whole sick day doing nothing but moaning about my aching limbs and playing Metaphor: ReFantazio on that 7.4-inch OLED screen. The new, white model does look unique, but as with all white plastic, you’ll inevitably find scuffs and dirt mar the pristine exterior. You could instead opt for decals and stickers like those from DBrand if you want to make your Steam Deck look unique.
I also have to admit I’m disappointed with how this limited edition model feels barebones compared to the older translucent plastic (despite reported cracking issues). I’d want something that reminds me of the turrets from Portal, maybe with red face buttons or trackpads. Perhaps the company is saving its energy for an inevitable Steam Deck 2. Valve designer Lawrence Yang told the Australian outlet Reviews.org that the company isn’t planning on any kind of yearly release. Instead, it’s looking for a real “generational leap” in computing power without sacrificing battery life. Considering the rumors for the AMD Ryzen Z2, the next-gen chip for what’s powering the Ally and Legion Go, that generational leap may already be on the horizon.
