The golden age of handheld gaming is already over
Published: (May 28, 2026 at 02:30 AM EDT)
1 min read
Source: The Verge
Source: The Verge
Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch Price Hikes
For a few glorious years, a $399 portable gadget could run almost anything you’d want to play. In 2022, the Steam Deck finally made PC gaming portable and affordable. I played through the vast majority of Elden Ring on a Steam Deck, agape that such a rich world could comfortably fit between my two hands.
Today, that Steam Deck experience starts at $789 – nearly double the price.
Similarly, a Nintendo Switch cost $299 at launch – but after Nintendo’s Switch 2 upgrades and “changes in market conditions,” the starting price of today’s Nintendo handheld gaming experience will soon be $499, more than a disc‑less PS5 cost at launch.
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