Business · Engadget
Even the Steam Deck OLED, now the only model available, didn't see any real performance improvements when it
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However, the Steam Deck still has features that help it stand out amongst its competitors in 2026.
Key facts
- Even with its own price increase, rising from $450 to $500 in September 2026, it still beats the prices of the Xbox Ally and Legion Go product lineups
- The Steam Deck has seen a $300 price increase, and with a new generation of handheld competitors on the market, it's easy to wonder if the hefty price tag is still worth it in 2026
- Arguably the biggest competitors for the Steam Deck in 2026 are the Asus ROG Xbox Ally (and Ally X) and the Lenovo Legion Go line of products
- Though the Xbox Ally and Legion Go (S and 2) lines offer larger batteries than the Steam Deck OLED, in real-world applications, Valve's handheld often comes out on top
Summary
The Steam Deck was the king of gaming handhelds when it arrived. They're still deep in the trenches of RAMageddon, the memory shortage driven by AI companies utilizing massive amounts of it in data centers, and virtually no sector of the tech world has been spared. The gaming landscape has changed a lot since the Steam Deck was first released in February 2022. Arguably the biggest competitors for the Steam Deck in 2026 are the Asus ROG Xbox Ally (and Ally X) and the Lenovo Legion Go line of products.