Three years later, the deck dominated the laptops’ charges

Today is the third anniversary of the Deck of Valve’s Steam, a hand -packed game computer that has created everything but created the market for laptops with portable games. It was a chaos to start! But after three years, freedom He has data showing how it took control of the emerging market. While Valve told us in November 2023 it was “Millions of Multiple” are sold Among the AMD mobile mobile, we have never taken a good look at its size or how to accumulate Windows … It seems that the deck, so far, has been larger than all its competitors combined.

The IDC Market Research Company uses supply chains to estimate the number of portable gaming systems that have been shipped around the world, and creates Spending predictions. When I asked the IDC Market Research analyst Louis Ward if he was ready to isolate Steamos and Windows Gaming Handhelds about that data, he said yes.

So, here are the Steam Stroke, ASUS ROG ally, to Windows, Lenovo Legion Go, MSI Claw from 2022 to 2024, and estimate for 2025:

Add it, and this is just less than 6 million charges in three years. One way to see this: It is small and does not really grow. IDC expectations of less than two million charges in 2025, instead of any significant expansion.

Another is that it is simply early days for the category: Meta’s Ray-Bans only He sold 2 million husbands Between October 2023 and February 2025, but its maker takes this as a sign that can soon sell 10 million all year.

“I think it’s amazing,” says Li Frank Azur, the head of AMD Games Company, Frank Azur, as IDC numbers for portable games with portable games. “This has not existed for three years; we have moved from nothing, zero, to create a gradual category in millions of units.”

But among those 6 million shipments, the lion’s share was the surface of the steam itself, according to IDC estimates. All 2022 shipments are the steam surface, and I want me more than 50 percent of 2023 shipments and 48 percent of 2024 shipments are also deck. When doing mathematics, Valve now shipped more than 3.7 million steam floors and may have crossed 4 million so far.

(Note: IDC numbers currently do not include a Chinese fairy from companies such as GPD, Ayaneo and Onexplayer, although they can be young players based on their general numbers in Indiegogo.)

With at least two million Windows portable charging within two years, it is not huge a surprise AMD and Intel do not spend heavily on more custom chips Like a person who still works completely well for the steam surface – especially if the rumors are correct that the Windows Mobile Early Purchase Backed Recreen their purchases at unusually high rates. (Stories, I have seen a lot of open arrows from ASUS ROG ally when I looked at Best Buy online and character.)

But I hope you invest AMD to make Steam Deck Lightning Lightning again. Because when each low -power gaming slice is originally aimed at laptops instead of mobile, we get disappointments like New Lenovo Legion Go SWhich could not stand on the three -year -old OLED review from Steam one -year -old in my evaluation, or The original msi claw. Or, we get a good side Like Rog Ally X This displacement of hungry chips with a large battery, but cost $ 800 or more.

Not that the chips are only The reason the steam surface came to this extent, not through a long shot! It is a mixture of Steamo Steamos to capture and play the valve-which simply allows you to press a button for an easily and appeal-and the proton compatibility and pre-shade, often make Windows games work on Linux better than running Linux more than running on Windows. Then there are customizable and unlimited controlled controls that make contracts of old toys to play.

It is also Think Console, not the game’s game for games – and how it makes the valve incredibly to make the performance temporarily for more battery life, and the number of additional things you can do with the deck if you try. (Epic Games Store and Ubisoft and even Blizzard games are playable if jumped across couple’s hoops; PlayStation can be easily broadcast with the Chiaki app that you can find in Linux desktop applications, allowing to multiply the PlayStation Handback.)

No shipment was approaching, while A mixture of Asus Rog Ally X and Steamos Not-Quite-A-Fork Bazzite You can feel like the best in the two worlds, you will pay twice the price of deck at the entry level.

I mistakenly thought that the most important portable in CES 2025 was Lenovo Legion Go S, because Valve delegation designers gave a blessing to become to become The first third party is stolen Steyheld portableBut I was wrong. Here’s how I finished Goy Svief: “If you are waiting for a $ 499 with Steamos, here is my advice: Just buy A 530 -dollar steam surface instead of.”

Although it is correct that the new Triple-A computer games now require more energy than Steam Deck can comfort Say constantly That will Wait for a “jump” to be provided In performance without sacrificing the battery life before it provides a steam surface 2, and that it is This year’s AMD Z2 chips will not be used.

Between this promise, many excellent new games that Do The target deck, the high prices for the new GPUS NVIDIA, and the idea that the new Microsoft Sony Handhelds We are A few years likelyI don’t think there are all the many reasons to wait to buy a deck today – Unless Nintendo Switch 2 In some way, the steam surface is breastfed as the game developers prefer to target games.