The Steam Deck’s launch in 2022 ushered in a new era of PC handheld gaming. To set the record straight here, Valve’s handheld is not the first PC gaming handheld; GamingPad Digital’s GPD Win first released in 2016. And it’s not even the first Linux based PC gaming handheld either; both the Deck and the GPD Win have a common predecessor in the Angstrom-based Pandora.
But as a major player in the video game industry, Valve was positioned to take PC handheld gaming to the next level with their Steam Deck. In so many words, it absolutely did, as Valve can properly claim they launched a new mainstream market for these devices. Shortly after their release, other companies came out with their own Windows based handheld gaming PCs, including the Lenovo Legion GO, ASUS ROG Ally, and MSI Claw. But it’s now 2025, how big has that market become?
Verge has a new report citing estimates made by IDC market research analyst Lewis Ward. Based on Ward’s numbers for units shipped from 2022 to this year, there have been a total of 6 million PC gaming handhelds shipped in the market. Subsequently, Valve has shipped upwards of 3.7 million Steam Decks, and they may have already hit the 4 million mark by now.
The first thing we will point out here is even Ward’s estimates are for units shipped, not sold. So we aren’t entirely sure how many of these gaming handhelds that are now circulating around the world have made their way to gamers’ hands, and how many are actually sitting in store shelves.
We also found this comparison by Famiboards user Hero of Hyrule, putting these numbers in context with shipping numbers for other gaming handhelds of the past and present:
- Genesis Nomad: 1 million units
- Neo Geo Pocket: 1.5 million
- N Gage: 3 million units
- Steam Deck: 4 million units
- Game Gear: 10 million units
- PS Vita: 15 million units
- Game and Watch: 43 million units
- Nintendo 3DS: 75 million units
- GameBoy Advance: 81 million units
- PSP: 84 million units
- Game Boy: 119 million units
- Nintendo Switch: 150 million units
- Nintendo DS: 154 million units
But even with these qualifications in mind, this is definitely a positive sign for the industry. While it’s true that Steam Deck and its Windows gaming brethren aren’t hitting the same sales numbers as the Nintendo Switch, one can credibly argue that they aren’t aiming to be the same kind of mass market device.
As some fans argue, PC gaming handhelds are seen and used by most consumers as supplementary gaming PCs, and not actual replacements for PCs, and for that matter, gaming consoles. That argument works very well in the Steam Deck’s favor, as it still isn’t ideal for many gameplay scenarios.
For example, Valve’s continued flouting of things like anti-cheat systems means multiplayer online games like Apex Legends can’t stay on the platform. Subsequently, the performance limitations inherent in a handheld platform means that a lot of newer games, such as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, can’t run or run poorly on these handhelds.
Valve, ASUS, Lenovo, MSI, GPD, and others also had to get over other obstacles to find success in making these devices. Smaller players like GPD, AYN, AYANEO still don’t have the capacity to compete with bigger peers in mass manufacture and distribution. They have to rely on community support to justify their higher prices and smaller production runs. Subsequently, PC OEMs like ASUS, Lenovo, and MSI have distribution, and can market their products, but can’t quite price their devices that low, at least not this early.
Lastly, Valve is a special case, because they can argue that Steam itself partly subsidizes the Steam Deck. They aggressively priced the lowest end SKU of the Deck against the Switch, but they had to launch their own physical retail and distribution network after infamously abandoning retail for their own games when they launched Steam.
These six million shipped devices indicate that there is a clear interest in them, and that that market can grow. That’s the bet all these companies made when they started making these devices in the first place. Perhaps, as the years go by, Valve and their peers can get over these other hurdles, and even be able to market themselves as real alternatives to Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. On the other hand, Sony and Microsoft have confirmed they’re looking into making handheld consoles of their own. So it’s hard to predict where this market will go in the future, and what it will mean for the gaming industry overall.
