Valve will finally start selling the Steam Deck in Australia.
It has been 2.5 years.
Australians will finally have the opportunity to officially purchase Valve's Steam Deck in their country, an event that comes two and a half years after its initial launch. This handheld console will arrive in Australia in November, having been available in markets such as Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan for the past year. For years, Australian gamers have been requesting this product, and Valve promised its arrival in November 2021.
The Steam Deck will be available in Australia in standard configurations: a 256GB version of the original model with an LCD screen, and two options of 512GB and 1TB of the latest model with an OLED screen, which offers improvements like longer battery life and better picture quality. Prices will be AUD $649 for the basic model, AUD $899 for the intermediate model, and AUD $1,049 for the 1TB version. Although the OLED model will cost AUD $250 more than the original, many consider it more worthwhile due to the notable improvements it offers.
Although the OLED model will already be a year old at the time of its launch in Australia, there are currently no indications that Valve plans to release an upgraded version in the short term. As for portable devices running Windows, none match the ease of use of the Steam Deck, although some, like the Asus ROG Ally X, exceed its performance and battery life capabilities in AAA gaming.
On the other hand, Valve might consider the possibility of implementing its SteamOS operating system on competing devices like the Asus ROG Ally X in the near future. Regarding user experience, the version of the Steam operating system on review units has received positive feedback, although there are still some details that need refinement.
For those attending PAX Australia in Melbourne, there is an opportunity to try out the Steam Deck at Valve's booth.
