The exact number of Steam Decks sold remains a mystery, as Valve has only acknowledged that sales are in the range of “multiple millions.” While this confirms its success, new industry research provides a clearer picture of the growing handheld PC market, which now includes competitors like the Asus ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and MSI Claw.
A recent report from The Verge, based on IDC research, estimates that combined sales of handheld gaming PCs from 2022 to early 2024 have reached approximately 6 million units, with projections suggesting just under 2 million more in 2025. However, this estimate does not factor in smaller brands like AyaNeo, which also contribute to the market.
Given Valve’s statement in November 2023 that Steam Deck sales were already in the “multiple millions,” it’s reasonable to assume that a majority of these 6 million units are Steam Decks. At the same time, the fact that Asus, Lenovo, Acer, and MSI continue to invest in new handheld gaming PCs suggests that this segment has enough momentum to support multiple players in the industry.
SteamOS and the Lenovo Partnership
One notable development in this space is Lenovo’s partnership with Valve to offer a version of the Legion Go S with SteamOS pre-installed. This addresses one of the key challenges of Windows-based handhelds—suboptimal performance and UI issues on small screens. The original Windows-based Legion Go S struggled to impress reviewers, but this SteamOS variant marks the first time Valve-powered hardware will be sold in major retail stores like Best Buy.
How the Steam Deck Stacks Up
If Steam Deck sales are around 5 million units, it would make it the most popular single gaming PC model on the market. However, the broader PC gaming market, which includes laptops and desktops, vastly outnumbers handhelds. For reference, Lenovo alone ships roughly 60 million PCs per year, though only a portion of those are gaming-focused machines.
Yet, in the grander gaming hardware landscape, PC handhelds remain a small niche. Nintendo’s Switch, for example, has sold over 150 million units since its launch in 2017. While comparisons between the Switch and Steam Deck may seem misplaced, this sheer sales gap highlights that handheld PC gaming is still in its early stages compared to dedicated gaming consoles.
Will Microsoft Enter the Handheld Market?
A crucial question for the industry is how Microsoft will respond to the growing handheld PC trend. While Xbox console sales have struggled, Microsoft’s PC gaming ecosystem remains strong, with Game Pass continuing to thrive. Given the steady growth of handheld PCs, Microsoft could have had an Xbox-branded handheld gaming device on the market by now, offering direct competition to the Steam Deck. However, Microsoft’s current strategy regarding handheld gaming remains unclear, leaving a major opportunity on the table.
As the handheld PC market continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see whether Microsoft steps up to challenge Valve, Asus, Lenovo, and others—or if it allows the competition to dominate this space entirely.
