The Valve Steam Deck is set to release on February 25 for a few markets, with initial preorder models being sent to early purchasers in the U.S., UK, Canada, Germany and France. Yep, no Australia, but there is a way around it if you don’t want to wait until “sometime in Q2 2022”. But you will pay the price for early access to the Steam Deck.
This isn’t a cheap piece of kit and will set you back several hundred dollars.
What price options are available for Steam Deck?
There are three models available, so you get a fair amount of choice in terms of what you want to get out of the device.
Also, if storage is super important to you, you can expand it using a MicroSD card.
Steam Deck prices
We’ll be converting prices from USD to AUD below, but as we know, simply converting the cost of tech in the U.S. into Aussie dollars doesn’t give us the full price (how good* is the Australia tax?). We don’t want to get your hopes up, but it’s important to add a few dollars to the conversion.
Consider shipping when making a purchase, too, especially if you’re going to do a region release dodge and order it from the U.S. (more on that in the next section).
- The cheapest option is $US399 (converted, that’s around $555), packed with 64GB eMMC internal storage and a carrying case.
- The mid-range model is $US529 (around the $740 mark, straight conversion), packing 256GB SSD internal storage, a carrying case and a Steam Community profile bundle (for your Steam profile).
- Finally, the most expensive model is $US649 (converted, the price for the top-tier Steam Deck is $903, so likely tipping $1,000), complete with 512GB NVME storage capacity, anti-glare etched glass, an “exclusive” carrying case, an exclusive steam community profile bundle and an exclusive virtual keyboard theme.
Where to buy Steam Deck in Australia?
Through some online wizardry, it is in fact possible for an Australian to preorder a Steam Deck when it launches in the U.S.. You’ll need a VPN set to an American location – after setting this, the order page should unlock and you should be able to preorder when stock becomes available. This is the same thing Aussies had to do to get the Valve Index early. So yes, it’s possible to get the Steam Deck in Australia, but it’s best to fully understand what that might mean for small things like access and charging and big things like your consumer protections and warranties.
The price if you buy from the U.S. will just be the conversion (plus whatever your bank adds) and the shipping, but as for the cost of the Steam Deck when it finally launches in Australia, you’ll likely be up for a little bit more.
We’ll keep this post updated as we learn more, so make sure you check back.