Storage chip shortages lead to another ironclad evidence reaching terminals: Valve announced that the Steam Deck's highest price increased by $300, and even refurbished units were not spared.

Facing the increasingly severe shortage of storage chips and global logistics cost pressures, Valve announced that it will raise the price of its Steam Deck handheld gaming PC by up to $300, an increase of nearly 50%. This adjustment has led to a significant increase in the price of the high-end OLED model, once again highlighting the continuing transmission of semiconductor supply chain tightness to consumer electronics terminals. Under the new pricing, the 512GB OLED version of the Steam Deck has risen from the previous $549 to $789, an increase of $240; while the 1TB OLED version has risen from $649 to $949, an increase of $300. Valve emphasized in its statement that there is no change in the product itself, and that this price adjustment is completely "to reflect current component costs and global logistics issues facing the entire industry," and stated that if the market environment changes, they will make updates. The price increase is not limited to new products. While Valve has maintained the prices of certified refurbished LCD models (512GB LCD refurbished model remains at $359), they have also raised the prices of refurbished OLED models: the 512GB OLED refurbished model is now selling for $629, and the 1TB OLED refurbished model is priced at $759. The dramatic fluctuations in component costs have also affected Valve's new product release schedule. The company released the next generation of Steam Machine gaming consoles and Steam Frame VR headsets in November last year, and launched the $99 Steam Controller in early May, but has not yet announced the release date and pricing details for the consoles and headsets. Some analysts believe that in the face of the uncertainty of storage chip costs, the pricing strategy for the next generation of hardware will be difficult to escape the shadow of this supply chain crisis. Behind this price adjustment, the tight supply of memory and storage chips is seen as a core driving factor. Recently, some handheld gaming PCs have experienced inventory shortages due to the shortage of storage chips. While the supply of Steam Deck has been stable, the pressure of component costs continues. It is widely believed in the industry that the price increase of the Steam Deck is not an isolated event, but a microcosm of AI expansion and the unstable semiconductor supply affecting the entire gaming hardware market. Whether there will be further price increases, and what pricing strategy Valve will adopt for the next generation of hardware, is becoming a focus of close market attention. In the broader market, cost pressures have forced many manufacturers to raise prices. Nintendo (NTDOY.US) plans to raise the price of the Switch 2 gaming console to $500 starting September 1st; Sony (SONY.US) and Microsoft Corporation (MSFT.US) have already raised the prices of their respective gaming consoles under multiple rounds of pressure.