Steam Deck OLED hits retail stores on December 12th in Asia

This is wonderful for Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan! Kinda envious of them, honestly!
Being from the US, it's sad not to see the Steam Deck at a retail store (probably because the US is letting the retail space die, I only say as half a joke). I was in a Best Buy a few weeks ago and stopped when I thought I saw a Steam Deck on display. Got a little excited thinking "Oh wow, Valve is finally putting their console in stores!"... then I realized I was looking at the Ally and immediately was saddened.

Not to rain on the Ally's parade at all! I love that there's competition in the mobile console space and bringing those prices down, but, I will admit I'm a Steam Deck fan boy of sort and I just really think it'd do even better if it was available in a way that Grandma and Grandpa could get one to give to little Tina or Timmy for the holidays.

Also, I have the original Steam Deck and would love to see/feel the new OLED version in the flesh (so to speak) to really see the difference before deciding to spend money on it.

This is wonderful for Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan! Kinda envious of them, honestly!
Being from the US, it's sad not to see the Steam Deck at a retail store (probably because the US is letting the retail space die, I only say as half a joke). I was in a Best Buy a few weeks ago and stopped when I thought I saw a Steam Deck on display. Got a little excited thinking "Oh wow, Valve is finally putting their console in stores!"... then I realized I was looking at the Ally and immediately was saddened.

Not to rain on the Ally's parade at all! I love that there's competition in the mobile console space and bringing those prices down, but, I will admit I'm a Steam Deck fan boy of sort and I just really think it'd do even better if it was available in a way that Grandma and Grandpa could get one to give to little Tina or Timmy for the holidays.

Also, I have the original Steam Deck and would love to see/feel the new OLED version in the flesh (so to speak) to really see the difference before deciding to spend money on it.

I agree, I'm quite shocked that Valve hasn't tried to work with the few brick and mortar stores around, like Walmart. Though I guess some of them have questionable pay rates for their customers. Hell, even selling through Amazon would maybe lighten any load of shipping it out themselves. But the Best Buys, Game Stops, etc would be a good place to see them.

Kind of sad that so much of the shopping experience is going away. There definitely are things where it sucks to buy them online, like clothes, for example.

I wonder what the hold up is in places like Australia and New Zealand for example? They're in the same region and still nothing, nadda. I don't get it.

I would think Valve would want to be selling in as many places as possible.

Not to rain on the Ally's parade at all! I love that there's competition in the mobile console space

I'm perfectly happy to rain on the Ally's parade unless and until they sell it with Linux instead of Windows.

Valve should really figure some way of getting it to happen in China.

I agree, I'm quite shocked that Valve hasn't tried to work with the few brick and mortar stores around, like Walmart. Though I guess some of them have questionable pay rates for their customers. Hell, even selling through Amazon would maybe lighten any load of shipping it out themselves. But the Best Buys, Game Stops, etc would be a good place to see them.

Kind of sad that so much of the shopping experience is going away. There definitely are things where it sucks to buy them online, like clothes, for example.

I myself am still definitely a fan of brick and mortar stores . . . and I don't even like shopping. Certainly I think it's usually a bad idea to buy clothes or above all shoes over the internet . . . but my main things to buy are books, and I definitely hit the actual bookstore for them whenever at all possible. Especially my favourite bookstore, the fantasy and science fiction specialty bookstore White Dwarf Books, which has the serious advantage that when I'm looking at a new release I can say "Jill, is this one any good?" and the proprietor will say "I haven't read that one but people have been saying X and Y about it."

As to selling through Amazon, I hear that is not nearly as compelling as it used to be if you have any alternative. Amazon have been jacking up their rates for third party sellers, charging for good search placement and generally nickel and diming them to death, and simultaneously they have provisions in their contracts (somewhat like Steam's own provisions on this topic) prohibiting selling the thing cheaper anywhere else. They have sellers over a barrel and they are increasingly exploiting it in what Cory Doctorow calls "enshittification". Valve are probably wise to instead rely on their own sales channel that they control.

Meanwhile Australians just sitting around waiting for Valve to remember we exist..

Amazon have been jacking up their rates for third party sellers, charging for good search placement and generally nickel and diming them to death,

That explains why the place looks like a reskinned Wish.com or similar these days, with counterfeit goods prioritised above all else.

I wonder what the hold up is in places like Australia and New Zealand for example? They're in the same region and still nothing, nadda. I don't get it.

I would think Valve would want to be selling in as many places as possible.

Meanwhile Australians just sitting around waiting for Valve to remember we exist..

Valve probably still pissed at the 3 million dollarydoo fine we gave them a few years ago for not offering refunds and this is our punishment........

Meanwhile Australians just sitting around waiting for Valve to remember we exist..

Steam probably got in discussion with EB Games months ago. And EB Games are deadlocked on terms and conditions that are not acceptable to Valve.

Would not surprise me.

Strange selection of stores.., why not the huge Bic Camera at JR Nagoya… Komodo are a really odd company.

Whilst the ROG Ally has demo units in nearly every electrical store going..,,

Ah well, I shall just continue loading the steam deck store page on any demo unit I see!

The thing ive learnt in this thread today is that there seems to be more Aussies on GOL than I first thought.......


Last edited by StoneColdSpider on 8 Dec 2023 at 4:11 am UTC

Whilst the ROG Ally has demo units in nearly every electrical store going..,,

Ah well, I shall just continue loading the steam deck store page on any demo unit I see!

Hahaha! Good man!

I wonder what the hold up is in places like Australia and New Zealand for example? They're in the same region and still nothing, nadda. I don't get it.

I would think Valve would want to be selling in as many places as possible.

I wonder that every day :(

I am so close to ordering a parallel imported one but I just know as soon as I do Valve will release them in AU/NZ.

I wonder what the hold up is in places like Australia and New Zealand for example? They're in the same region and still nothing, nadda. I don't get it.

I would think Valve would want to be selling in as many places as possible.

I wonder that every day :(

I am so close to ordering a parallel imported one but I just know as soon as I do Valve will release them in AU/NZ.

Well then go for it! Take one for the team!


Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 8 Dec 2023 at 4:53 am UTC

and I definitely hit the actual bookstore for them whenever at all possible

Huh. I had you pegged as more of a library guy.

Meanwhile Australians just sitting around waiting for Valve to remember we exist..

Valve knows we exist, and Valve knows our strong refund-focused consumer protections exist...

I wonder what the hold up is in places like Australia and New Zealand for example? They're in the same region and still nothing, nadda. I don't get it.

Places like Kogan sell them, even OLED edition but you will be paying $300-400AUD to the middle men (currently $1279AUD) and I have no idea how warranty is handled.

and I definitely hit the actual bookstore for them whenever at all possible

Huh. I had you pegged as more of a library guy.

I wonder how many books have enough purple in them to actually create a Purple Library the guy can hang out in.

Meanwhile Australians just sitting around waiting for Valve to remember we exist..

Valve knows we exist, and Valve knows our strong refund-focused consumer protections exist...

Honestly don't think that would be a problem for Valve. They have a refurbished line of Steam Decks for quite some time. Also in the example of New Zealand, I would have thought Gabe would want his products in that country since it's almost his adoptive country from the pandemic period. Maybe the demand is higher in other countries and they are prioritizing a very slow rollout.