The Steam Deck Turns 3 Today And It Can Only Get Better From Here

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Today marks the third anniversary of the Steam Deck, and it has been a wild ride so far. This handheld, created by Valve, came out of nowhere and blew away expectations, which also ended up making the handheld PC market one that was actually affordable for the general consumer. As for me personally, the device completely changed the course of my life. It's crazy to see what the Deck has become and even crazier to see just how big it is in this new market.

A Look At The Past

Going all the way back, handheld PCs really started to come to light around 2016, with the Chinese company GPD releasing its GPD WIN. While it had a modest price of $299, it was lacking in the gaming department for playing bigger games due to the 4GB RAM and integrated graphics. GPD would go on to release other handhelds, like the GPD WIN 2, which were better suited for gaming but still not completely there yet. This also saw prices rise up to over $700-$800 and start to alienate the general consumer.

Fast forward to 2021 where AYANEO and One Netbook enter the competition. While they were all now starting to get better specs to really play the big titles, the price and integrated GPU was not making the cut. Handheld PCs were essentially for enthusiasts more than the general public, and with the offerings coming from Chinese companies through crowdfunding, there wasn't solid ground just yet to give more consumers enough to make the jump.

The Steam Deck Arrives

Later, in 2021, out of nowhere, Valve announced their newest device, the Steam Deck. A handheld PC that would be integrated with Steam, using a new Linux OS and a custom APU built specifically for the device. It would be able to play the newest games, showcasing titles like Elden Ring, Control, DOOM Eternal, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Death Stranding, and more. It would also have great integration with Steam and all its features. But the best part was the price, starting at $399.

It looked like the perfect device where we wouldn't have to compromise on performance while also not spending close to $1,000. We now had an affordable option to take our PC gaming library on the go, and it was a hit. I remember being in my car when reservations started being taken for it, and I was hitting refresh and trying to reserve my model for 3 hours. I was elated when I finally got it, and ever since, it has become my main gaming device.

The Steam Deck's Evolution

Since then, the Steam Deck has become more and more appealing thanks to the constant updates and the refresh. In 2023, Valve announced an OLED version of the Deck, which made a ton of internal changes for better cooling, a bigger battery, faster RAM, WiFi 6e support, and a gorgeous OLED screen with HDR support. Even though there wasn't any update to the APU inside, which meant we were getting the same performance as the old model, it was enough to justify getting the updated version.

Valve has also been updating its software. They created a custom Linux OS for the device, promptly called SteamOS, and there have been tons of updates for it to keep it stable and add a plethora of new features. Liam from GamingOnLinux listed a lot of the big updates for SteamOS, which include:

• Per-app performance profiles.
• HDR, VRR and display colour settings.
• Game recording.
• A lock screen for security.
• Refresh rate switcher.
• A window switcher for when games have multiple windows (like launchers remaining open).
• Night Mode.
• Enabled customization of the performance overlay.
• An improved Offline Mode (it used to require a reboot).
• Major version updates to the KDE Plasma Desktop Mode.
• Improvements for docking the Steam Deck like display interface scaling.
• Various performance improvements and GPU driver upgrades.
• Support for Bluetooth A2DP and BAP profiles.
• Mura Compensation.
• Added support for some HDMI CEC features to their official Dock.
• Added overclocking controls on Steam Deck LCD.

GamingOnLinux - Happy three years to the Steam Deck

It makes it even more amazing to see that Valve has done this all within the three years the Steam Deck has been available. Not to mention the constant client updates, small fixes here and there to make sure the biggest games would be enjoyable on the Deck, and of course, the Proton updates. Not only is the Steam Deck a great device in itself, but it also has a great developer working to iron out all the kinks as fast as they can.

The Competition Can't Keep Up

With the Steam Deck making handheld PCs a new, emerging market, that also means competition would catch wind. Since the Deck's release, many companies worldwide have started to try getting their feet wet with more powerful and unique offerings. ASUS came out with the ROG Ally, Lenovo with the Legion Go, MSI with the Claw, and there are still more on the horizon with the ZOTAC Zone and Acer Nitro Blaze. And of course, we still have companies like AYANEO, GPD, and One Netbook making their own handhelds.

Using Windows as a base, these handhelds would try to stand out with more powerful APUs, unique gimmicks like detachable controllers or a larger screen, but even with all of that, none of them have been able to catch up to the Steam Deck's popularity.

Sean Hollister from The Verge notes that the market research firm IDC estimated that just under 6 million shipments of all handheld PCs have happened from 2022 to what they estimate sales would look like in 2025. Of those shipments, IDC estimated that most have been the Steam Deck. All of the shipments in 2022 were the Deck, and around 50% of shipments in 2023 and 2024 have been the Deck. This would mean that there would be almost 4 million Decks sold, though this could have passed the 4 million mark by now.

It's also important to note that the 6 million number includes ALL handheld PCs. This means the 2 million leftover is a combination of the Ally, Legion Go, and Claw. The numbers don't include the Chinese companies, but it's estimated the number of users with these handhelds are smaller than the rest.

The Steam Deck Has Also Brought Linux To The Main Stage

While the Steam Deck has been crushing its competition, it has also brought with it more notoriety to Linux as an operating system for gaming. Before the Steam Deck, Linux was not seen as a viable operating system for PC gaming. It had been getting progressively better thanks to the Proton compatibility layer, which translates Windows libraries into Linux compatible ones, but it still wasn't a popular choice until now.

SteamOS was initially launched with the Steam Machines back in 2013, and it was nowhere near where it is today. There have been a ton of advancements with Proton, with major updates making more games playable, updating the components that translate the libraries, and providing necessary fixes. Now, with how SteamOS has evolved and Proton has grown, Linux has become a fantastic way to play games on PC, even if there are some outliers that still won't run (looking at kernel-level anti-cheat).

Linux as a gaming OS in general has become more popular, but it is thanks to the Steam Deck that it has grown in popularity. It has pushed the development of Proton more than before and made Linux and Proton more widespread for general users to try. With the lack of bloatware and more in-depth customizability, it has become a fantastic alternative to Windows to use.

How The Steam Deck Impacted Me

I think the Steam Deck impacted a lot of people in different ways. Some got a taste of PC gaming for the first time, some found a way to finally game again after having kids, and others found a great companion for their desktop PC. For me, I have always loved handheld gaming ever since I fell in love with the Game Boy Advance. I knew I was going to get a Steam Deck as soon as it was announced, which would be the perfect companion to my desktop PC (my main way of gaming). However, it took a turn I would not expect.

About 4 months after I got my Steam Deck, I created SteamDeckHQ. At first, it was just going to be a website for reviewing games to recommend different groups of settings from a dedicated reviewer who plays through the games. However, less than a month later, we were getting over a million views a month and have been growing steadily since then. Now, we are working on some of the biggest games to review them and evaluate them before they are released.

Before this, I was managing a pharmacy, so the Steam Deck completely altered the direction of my life. I had fully expected to work my way up the corporate ladder and manage a business, but now, I get to work with my passion and review video games for a living. I am also a new dad, so the Deck has made gaming more convenient for me overall, but thanks to the Steam Deck, I now get to work in the field I am most passionate about.

How The Future Looks

With the Steam Deck starting to show its age from an older APU that can't play some of the newest AAA released today, like Monster Hunter Wilds, calls have started to come for the next generation handheld to be released. Valve has consistently stated that they are waiting to make a new handheld to provide a true generational leap and that they are not using the new Z2 chips that AMD is releasing. I do speculate that they may be waiting to use RDNA 4 GPU cores to take advantage of hardware-based FSR 4 with AI upscaling, but this is pure speculation for now.

In the meantime, it's still hard not to recommend the Steam Deck over other handhelds. The fantastic features, beautiful screen, great support, and wonderful balance of battery and performance still hold strong for many of the newest games. Yes, the new AAA titles will have some trouble, but many are optimizing for the Deck to make sure it can run on the go. Dynasty Warriors: Origins and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii are both big new games that can run well on the Deck, and there will most likely be many more.

In the end, it's hard not to love the Steam Deck and what it has become. In some ways, it feels like we are living in the golden age of an emerging market to make gaming more accessible for those who don't want to sit down at a computer all the time. It's a welcome change and one I am overjoyed to be a part of.

If you enjoyed this article, check out the rest of the content on SteamDeckHQ! We have a wide variety of game reviews and news that will help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for news, tips and tutorials, game settings and reviews, or just want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, we've got you covered!