Is The Steam Deck Still Worth It In 2026?

The Steam Deck was the king of gaming handhelds when it arrived. But with more competition (and a higher price), is it still worth the cost?

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We'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. This is particularly true for the gaming industry, where console prices have risen in recent months (compared to historically, when they would fall over time). 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.

The gaming landscape has changed a lot since the Steam Deck was first released in February 2022. Unreal Engine 5 released just a few months after, drastically...

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