Is the Steam Deck still worth it in 2026?

The Steam Deck was the king of gaming handhelds when it arrived. But with more competition (and a higher price), is it still worth the cost?

We're still deep in the trenches of RAMageddon , the memory shortage driven by AI companies utilizing massive amounts of it in data centers, and virtually no sector of the tech world has been spared. This is particularly true for the gaming industry, where console prices have risen in recent months (compared to historically, when they would fall over time). The Steam Deck has seen a $300 price increase , and with a new generation of handheld competitors on the market, it's easy to wonder if the hefty price tag is still worth it in 2026.

The gaming landscape has changed a lot since the Steam Deck was first released in February 2022. Unreal Engine 5 released just a few months after, drastically expanding the tools at developers' fingertips to make increasingly complex game graphics, and in turn how taxing they are on a machine. Even the Steam Deck OLED — now the only model available — didn't see any real performance improvements when it was released in 2023, with changes instead focusing more on the screen and battery life.

However, the Steam Deck still has features that help it stand out amongst its competitors in 2026.

Arguably the biggest competitors for the Steam Deck in 2026 are the Asus ROG Xbox Ally (and Ally X) and the Lenovo Legion Go line of products. Both boast generally higher performance: in testing, all models in both lines tend to deliver better frame rates than the Steam Deck. All achieved a higher raw 3DMark Time Spy score — a common benchmark test for GPUs and CPUs — except for the Legion Go S and Legion Go model that features the less powerful Z2 AMD chip. However, it's worth noting that sometimes these differences with the Steam Deck can be very minimal depending on the game (even down to a few frames).

The two competitors do have some distinctions between them. The Xbox Ally or Ally X are clear picks for gamers who skew towards Xbox titles (though not every title supports Xbox Play Anywhere). However, the Xbox Ally is somewhat held back by its frequently criticized Windows OS, something the Legion Go has circumvented by introducing models that run SteamOS. The Legion Go line (sans the S models) is also set apart with its detachable, Joy-Con-esque controllers, making it an especially good option for those interested in docked gaming.

Though it may not be for everyone due to its limited title pool, the Nintendo Switch 2 is another viable alternative. "Prices are ludicrous," says Jessica Conditt, who wrote our review for the Steam Deck OLED . "I feel like Switch 2 is the only handheld that makes sense for its price at the moment, honestly."

Even with its own price increase — rising from $450 to $500 in September 2026 — it still beats the prices of the Xbox Ally and Legion Go product lineups. There are a few other standout differences: The Switch 2 is the sole handheld in this discussion that can support Nvidia's DLSS rendering technology, and the only one besides the Steam Deck to support HDR.