Valve is Optimistic About Their Future With Hardware After Steam Deck Soars in 2024
Valve has released its year in review, which highlights, among other things, the Steam Deck’s success and growing fanbase. The report indicates a voracious appetite for the console in new markets and a willingness by developers to optimize games for it.
The past few years have proven that PC gaming handhelds are not simply a fad but a booming market. Despite many competitors popping up with various alternatives, Valve’s Steam Deck has maintained its first-to-market advantage and brand image, becoming the generic name to quantify an entire category of products. It is the Band-Aid to its competitor’s plasters. Valve recently released its year-in-review, which has proven that the primarily software development and digital sales company’s venture into hardware is paying off.
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Valve’s Future in Hardware is Looking “Bright”
“The future of hardware at Valve is bright”, the post reads, highlighting that 330 million hours of play were clocked on the Steam Deck in 2024, a 64% increase over 2023. Valve attributes this expansion to making more games Steam Deck Verified, and more developers and publishers are making efforts to optimize for the machine.
The console now boasts a library of 17,000 “Playable” or “ Verified” games on offer. Valve has also credited its face-to-face and community-driven events, such as PAX Melbourne and G Star in Busan, giving smaller developers hands-on console experience. “We learn a bunch by watching players interact with Steam Deck on different continents and contexts, and it never gets old hearing a dev exclaim “Damn, I can’t believe my game runs so well on the Deck.”
The company also notes its official presence within the Australian market, a decision many Australian gamers voiced their approval of. As a further gauge of market appetite, Valve introduced a Steam Deck OLED Limited Edition White model in November, with Australia being listed among the available ASEAN regions to which it could be shipped to. Steam Decks are not officially available in all countries, and many rely on third-party sellers.
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As hardware sales of the Steam Deck continue to grow, one can expect to see that they will move to a direct-to-consumer model, as with America, or license the rights to third-party distributors like Komodo, who handle Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Much of this will depend on logistics and regional laws.
Lastly, the company highlighted that Steam VR and Steam Link VR saw a rise in usage, especially when combined with the Meta Quest. The Proton Steam OS has also seen numerous tweaks and updates, as well as major improvements, such as enabling the use of the OS on hardware from other manufacturers. Competitors are becoming more numerous as the Asus Rog Ally, Aya Neo, and Lenovo Legion Go gain fans.
Xbox CEO Phil Spencer has also remarked that the Xbox will release a handheld in the future. However, the main priority now is to bring the Xbox OS to the various consoles, furthering its “Play Anywhere” ethos. A recent report suggested that players could see one as early as this year, featuring an “unmistakably Xbox” design.
Source: Valve
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