It has been three years since Valve first launched the Steam Deck, its own handheld gaming PC utilising custom AMD silicon and its own Linux-based operating system, SteamOS. Since then, a number of competitors have popped up on the market, some with even better specs than the Steam Deck, but according to market research, Valve's handheld has managed to maintain its number one spot on the market. 

As spotted by The Verge, market research firm, IDC, has analysed supply chain orders to estimate just how many gaming handhelds have shipped around the world. In 2022, it is estimated that 1.62 million gaming handhelds were shipped, a number that grew to 2.87 million in 2023, before dropping to 1.485 million in 2024. These figures combine the Steam Deck, ROG Ally, Legion Go and MSI Claw handhelds.

All added together, around six million PC gaming handhelds have been sold by the big brands over the last few years. It is estimated that gaming handheld shipments will fall to under two million in 2025.

Despite other options having better technical specifications, the Steam brand name has carried its weight here. Of the six million handhelds sold between 2022 and 2025, it is estimated that almost four million of those were Steam Decks, putting Valve's system well ahead of the competition. With all of that in mind, despite the Steam Deck's chip being weaker than what can be found in more expensive options from the likes of Asus, MSI and Lenovo, Valve's combination of low-power gaming hardware and the SteamOS UI has won over the consumer in far greater numbers than a ‘Windows' based handheld.

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KitGuru Says: Do any of you own a gaming handheld? Did you go with a Steam Deck or one of the more expensive competitors? 

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