Summary

Sad news going in to 2026, Valve ends production of the original Steam Deck LCD. I tested this and I was impressed with its overall perfomance.

While we have exciting new Steam hardware launching next year, what does this mean for PC handheld gaming?

Valve is discontinuing the OG Steam Deck

Sad news in the handheld gaming field announced; Valve is discontinuing production of the original killer handheld, the Steam Deck LCD 256GB version.

I tested out a refurbished (even cheaper!) version of this earlier this year and… was pretty happy with!

For those who missed it, Valve quietly updated their Steam Deck ordering page with a simple note:

“We are no longer producing the Steam Deck LCD 256GB model. Once sold out, it will no longer be available.”

No press release, no fanfare, just a quiet farewell to the device that basically kicked off the modern handheld PC gaming revolution back in February 2022.

Truth be told, this isn’t entirely surprising. Valve announced this move over two years ago when they revealed the Steam Deck OLED models, saying they’d sell the LCD versions “while supplies last.”

Well, I guess supplies have finally run out.

What made the Steam Deck so LCD special?

The LCD 256GB model was priced at just $399. The refurbished one, was even cheaper. This made the Steam Deck, by far, the cheapest entry point into handheld pc gamging. For budget-conscious gamers like myself, this was a huge win. Today is very different, with RAMpant RAM prices, Trump tarrafis and AI hype driving datacenter hardware allication up and makiing normal hardware un achiabale for us hardware enthusiasts and gamers.

You got full access to your Steam library, proper PC gaming on the go, and all the customizability you’d expect from a real PC.

I grabbed a refurbished 64GB base model, that already was updated to 256 GB earlier this year.

It worked perfectly, and for me it served as the ideal entry point into handheld PC gaming.

Having said that, the LCD screen did feel a bit dated if you are accustomed to OLED. Battery life was also a concern when playing demanding games, but for indie titles and less intensive games, it was stellar.

The handheld gaining market has matured

The handheld gaming market has change since the original Steam Deck launch. We’ve got the ROG Ally, MSI Claw, Lenovo Legion Go, and more, all boasting upgraded internals and better specs. Lenovo are even shipping devices preinstalled with SteamOS. So those of us looking into handhelds have way more options these days.

Valve themselves are making a dedicated hardware push in 2026 year with the launch of exciting new Steam hardware; a new Steam Machine, Steam Controller and the VR headset the Steam Frame.

They’re clearly still in the business of making stellar hardware, but the question is: when will we get a new Steam Deck?

Have we passed that technological leap they said they were after for the Steam Deck 2?

A Steam Deck in all its glory A Steam Deck in all its glory, a very good piece of hardware / credit kaytomas.com

When will Steam Deck 2 release?

Valve is known for oprearting on “Valve time”, meaning nothing is certain. Hoever, with the discontinuing of the original Steam Deck LCD, I think we are moving closer to a Steam Deck 2 announcement.

When… is anybodys guess.

However, my bet is that Valve wants to get the already announced hardware (Steam Frame, Controller and Machine) out before starting to talk about the next small thing.

Considering the success of the original handheld—the Steam Deck LCD 256GB version, we can expect (while taking large, unperscribed doeses of hopium) Valve to start talking about new handheld hardware in 2026.

The rising costs of hardware components (RAM] and the overall better performance of the Oled version - likely pushed Valve to end production on their cheapest handheld. If you don’t have a Steam Deck and are looking to get one now, your only options are the OLED models at $549 for 512GB or $649 for 1TB. Making the jump a bit harder with it’s significant price jump from the original $399 entry point.

For those who already own the LCD version, nothing changes. You’ve got a solid piece of hardware that will continue to receive software updates and support. The Steam Deck’s real strength has always been Valve’s commitment to the Proton compatibility layer and SteamOS. That’s not going changeing.

The original Steam Deck LCD deserves respect, it’s one of those silver linings in hardware releases. They proved that handheld PC gaming could work, it democratized access to PC gaming on the go, and it forced the entire industry to take handhelds seriously.

The LCD version might be gone, but its legacy continues with every handheld PC that launches today.

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