Depending on which podcasts you listen to, you may be forgiven for thinking the Steam Deck is the most important platform on the planet. But new market research from IDC estimates the handheld has shipped around four million units since launch, putting it at about a third of the PS Vita’s lifetime total.
There is crucial context to consider here, of course: Valve only sells the handheld through its own storefront, removing all retail presence and making it more of an enthusiast device. Moreover, the unit works with existing Steam libraries, meaning it doesn’t rely on dedicated software support like previous handhelds such as the PSP and PS Vita did.
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But with IDC estimating the combined shipments of Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and MSI Claw at under two million units for 2024, it does put into perspective just how small the handheld PC gaming market is right now.
Still, the industry clearly sees massive potential growth in this market. Microsoft has already come out and confirmed it’s working on a handheld, while there have been rumours Sony is plotting something similar for the PS6.
And to be fair, about 3% of PS5 owners have purchased Remote Play streaming system PS Portal since its release in late 2023. Crudely extrapolating that statistic from the 75 million consoles Sony has shipped worldwide suggests around two million PS Portals have also been sold in the last year and a bit.