Why you should buy a Steam Deck in 2026 (when it’s in stock, that is)

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This week marks the fourth birthday of the Steam Deck, which is a significant milestone considering how quickly technology becomes outdated. Many devices are replaced by newer, more advanced models long before reaching this age.

Even with newer, more impressive handheld gaming PCs like the ROG Ally X and Lenovo Legion Go 2 now available, the Steam Deck still remains relevant and hasn’t become outdated.

The Steam Deck is still the top choice for handheld gaming, and likely will be in 2026, making it a great purchase if you don’t already own one.

The Steam Deck is so convenient

It is genuinely difficult to sell quite how convenient the Steam Deck is.

Okay, so if you don’t already have a powerful gaming PC, the Steam Deck really shines. It’s basically like having a portable PC that lets me play all my Steam games on the go – though honestly, I’m hoping the Steam Machine will eventually give us even more options for that too.

Before I got a Steam Deck, I already owned a gaming PC, a PlayStation 5, and the Switch 2 (I used to have the original Switch too). Because of all that, I kept delaying buying the Deck for a long time – months, maybe even years.

I also have a huge list of games I still want to play, and the Steam Deck has been amazing for finally getting through some of the shorter ones.

It’s convenient to simply grab the device and start a game, instead of having to power on my computer – though that process isn’t really difficult. But the Deck offers much more than just that simple convenience.

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I can play this game anytime, anywhere. I can quickly jump in for just 20 minutes, then pause without worry. When I return a few hours later, I instantly pick up right where I stopped.

Instead of isolating myself, I can relax in the living room with my roommate, even enjoying something like Ken Burns’ The Vietnam War, and just be a normal, social person.

Before, reviewing games meant I had to stay chained to my desk in London. Now, with the Deck, I can easily head home for the weekend to see my mom – something my siblings definitely don’t do, and they should be ashamed!

I finally played “What Remains of Edith Finch” this weekend during my train ride to Liverpool. I’d owned it for years, and it completely captivated me – it’s a game that really encourages you to dive in and experience it.

Lossless Scaling is magic

Most of us dislike it when game developers use frame generation to mask poor performance, but creating it yourself can actually be a fun and relaxing experience.

Okay, so I grabbed this program called Lossless Scaling on Steam for about six bucks, and honestly, it’s amazing. It’s a total game-changer!

Okay, so this tool is a game-changer for my Steam Deck! Basically, it lets me boost the frame rate with just one click. There are some games that normally run terribly, almost unplayably, but with this, they actually run smoothly. It’s seriously made a huge difference!

It’s the FPS equivalent of the ‘downloading RAM’ meme, except by some miracle, it’s real.

It’s not a flawless fix, and if you examine it carefully, you’ll notice some visual imperfections, particularly with fast camera movements.

Given that you’re playing on the Steam Deck’s relatively small screen and it’s surprisingly managing 60 frames per second with a demanding game like Cyberpunk 2077, any visual imperfections are usually difficult to see and don’t really matter.

Thanks to Lossless Scaling on the Deck, I can now play games while traveling that I wouldn’t have been able to before. And considering it cost me less than five pounds, that’s amazing!

AI has ruined everything

Beyond job losses, environmental damage, and concerns about its impact on our thinking, artificial intelligence is now causing shortages and price increases for computer components.

From October 2025 to January 2026, the cost of RAM sharply increased, nearly doubling, primarily due to higher demand from data centers.

We’re now seeing higher prices for computer components like SSDs, GPUs, and CPUs. It seems anything used in a computer is currently more expensive, largely due to the growing demand from artificial intelligence.

The component shortage is really impacting everyone, even Valve. They’re having trouble with the new Steam Machine, and the Steam Deck recently sold out in the US.

Right now is a particularly bad time to build a new computer or upgrade the one you have – it’s the worst it’s been since the start of the pandemic, and prices aren’t expected to improve soon.

It’s hard to find a new computer with good specifications for under $1000 these days, and that’s probably an optimistic estimate.

Honestly, a Steam PC I can take anywhere for less than the cost of a high-end graphics card like an RTX 5070? That’s seriously tempting. It’s hard not to get excited about that possibility as a gamer.

Honestly, we haven’t even scratched the surface of how much you can tweak this thing with Decky Loader’s plugins. And it’s just so comfortable to play with! The more I use it, the more it feels like my console, and I seriously can’t imagine going back to how I used to game.

If you’re considering a Steam Deck, chances are you’re already excited about it and looking for a little push to finally make the purchase. Well, consider this your sign – go ahead and buy one! You won’t regret it.

The Steam Deck is a great device for both experienced PC gamers and newcomers alike, and right now is the perfect time to get one if you don’t already have it.

The Steam Deck is available to purchase directly from Steam.

You can watch our complete discussion about the Steam Deck on the TopMob Gaming YouTube channel or listen to it on the TopMob Gaming Podcast.

Authors

Alex RaisbeckGaming writer

Alex Raisbeck writes about video games for TopMob, covering both big-name titles and smaller independent games. He’s also contributed to well-known gaming publications like VideoGamer, GamesRadar+, PC Gamer, and PCGamesN.

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2026-02-23 16:07