Valve Announces Steam Deck Launch in Australia for November 2024

Valve Corporation has confirmed that its portable gaming device, the Steam Deck, will be available for shipping to Australia starting in November 2024. This announcement coincides with Steam’s inaugural appearance at PAX Australia, providing attendees with a hands-on opportunity to experience the gaming device.

The Steam Deck, a handheld gaming computer, has been available since March 2022 in North America, Europe, and parts of Asia including Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan. The expansion to the Australian market marks a significant development in the availability of the device, facilitating direct purchases through Steam.

Valve stated, “We’ve been working on bringing Steam Deck to Australia for a while. It took a bit more time than we expected, and we’re pleased that we can finally make this announcement.” This sentiment underscores the company’s commitment to expanding its geographical reach.

At the launch, the Steam Deck will be available in three models, priced at AUD $649 for the 256GB LCD version, AUD $899 for the OLED 512GB version, and AUD $1,049 for the 1TB OLED model. These prices are inclusive of GST.

According to Lawrence Yang, one of the designers of the Steam Deck, the delay was largely due to logistical and certification requirements. “Australia was always on our list,” Yang stated. “We had to ensure from a certification standpoint that everything was lined up. We needed logistics and a third-party logistics partner ready before officially shipping here.”

Valve’s spokesperson, Yazan Aldehayyat, highlighted that direct sales through Steam were chosen over retail partnerships to streamline future hardware launches. “We wanted to be able to sell it through Steam,” said Aldehayyat. “We hope the infrastructure investment will facilitate faster sales of future hardware in Australia.”

Despite the entry of numerous PC handhelds into the market, the Steam Deck has distinguished itself through a superior user experience and optimized gaming performance. Aldehayyat explained, “The relationship between hardware and software teams, along with our collaboration with AMD, allows for unique optimizations throughout the device.”

Steam Deck updates are ongoing, with the upcoming SteamOS 3.6 expected to enhance the battery life of the LCD models by 10 to 15 percent, according to Aldehayyat. The team is committed to continually improving battery performance for both current and future models.

Australian users are anticipated to be receptive to the gaming device as it grants a PC-like experience, according to Yang. Valve has fostered a relationship with Microsoft to optimize the web version of Xbox Game Pass for Steam Deck users.

Yang also confirmed Valve’s ambition toward future iterations of the Steam Deck, suggesting the company’s ongoing commitment to innovation beyond previous hardware ventures such as the Steam Controller and Valve Index. “We’re working on future generations of this. Steam Deck is a culmination of our past hardware learnings,” he said.