2024 has seen a string of unlikely events. Eternally in-fighting Britpop band Oasis reformed and set its sights on a world tour, human-sized Cheeto Donald Trump secured a second term in the White House, and Valve announced that it was finally releasing the Steam Deck into the Australian market, delighting Aussie gamers and likely putting the noses of grey importers firmly out of joint. As of earlier this week those Aussie Steam Decks have started shipping out
complete with an Aussie power supply and sold at a price point that substantially undercuts the inflated charges of every grey importer we checked at the time of writing. So, if you were planning on getting a Steam Deck then buying one directly from Steam is a no-brainer, but two and a half years after the system’s original launch – do you want to buy one at all?
Let’s rewind a little. When the original LCD Steam Deck launched in February, 2022, IGN’s reviewer Seth G. Macy said:
It’s worth pointing out that a lot has changed in the couple of years since. Valve has rolled out hundreds of system updates to the Deck, improving everything from software compatibility to increasing battery life and even minimising the whine of the internal fan, no hardware mods required. In late 2023 it also introduced a second SKU, the Steam Deck OLED, which introduced a slightly larger and eminently more vibrant screen, as well as a slightly beefier battery among other tweaks to the hardware. Here’s what IGN’s reviewer Bo Moore said at the time of the Steam Deck OLED’s North American launch:
