Valvesurprised us all - in a good way - last week when it accidentally leaked,and then officially revealed, that the Steam Deck OLEDis coming very soon. Very soon is actually an understatement. All three models of theSteam Deck OLEDwill be here tomorrow (Jun 30, 2025). Anyone who wants a new Steam Deck with a better quality screen, longer battery life, and faster load times will need to choose between the 512GB and 1TB models. Or, if you’re lucky, you could land the limited edition colorway Steam Deck OLED.
Not only will you need to be lucky to get your hands on the limited edition version of the updated console, but you’ll also need to fit the criteria. Valve has revealed the standards you will need to meet if you want to qualify for purchase, and while some people are understandably upset by the strict rules in place, it’s clear Valve has felt the need to do so to avoid scalpers and bots buying stock so the console can then be sold by third parties for inflated prices.
The criteria only apply to the limited edition version of the Steam Deck OLED. The regular models can be bought outside of the US and Canada and you will still be able to buy them if you don’t check everything on the list below.
Revealed in a post fromthe official Steam Deck account, there are four boxes you’ll need to check if you want to buy the limited edition model of the Steam Deck OLED. First of all, the console will only be available in the US and Canada. Next, yourSteamaccount will need to be in good standing. I’m unsure what that means exactly, but if you think you don’t reach that bar, then you know the reason why. Only accounts that have bought something on Steam prior to November 2023 will be eligible, so no brand new accounts jumping the queue, and sales will be limited to one console per person.
Those last two restrictions, in particular, are clearly in place to prevent bots from scalping the consoles. It also explains why the Steam Deck OLED was almost shadow-dropped. Scalpers have no time to create a bunch of new accounts and buy up stock of the colorway model. Plus limiting items like this to one per customer should really just be the norm moving forward, even if it does annoy the minority of people who legitimately need more than one.
Steam Deck OLED
The Steam Deck OLED is an upgrade version of the regular handheld version of the console from Valve. Not only does it boast an improved screen, but it also has a longer battery life, runs faster, and is even a little lighter. There are 512GB and 1TB models of the Steam Deck OLED available.
Valve explains that this is an experiment, and if it goes well, it will likely create and release more limited-edition Steam Deck models in the future. It also hinted that there are plans for a Steam Deck successor shortly after announcing the OLED model, but that its next handheld console is still at least two years away.
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