Valve’s Steam Deck Predicted to Surpass 3 Million Global Sales by 2023
Analysts from Omdia predict that sales of Valve’s Steam Deck portable console will exceed 3 million units worldwide by the end of 2023, with 1.6 million units sold in 2022.
Steam Deck’s Niche Market and Future Potential
Despite being considered a niche part of the PC gaming market, the Steam Deck has gained popularity, with around 42% of buyers spending the majority of their gaming time on the device. Analyst James McWhirter believes that SteamOS may become publicly available this year, opening a new product category for portable PCs.
Limited Retail Presence and Windows Dependency
The Steam Deck’s limited retail presence, being available only through Valve, may constrain its growth. However, with SteamOS, Valve aims to reduce its dependency on Windows, translating a large portion of Steam’s games away from Microsoft’s operating system. This could position the Steam Deck as a competitor to consoles like the Nintendo Switch, though support for popular titles with anti-cheat solutions will be crucial.
