Alongside the initial reveal of the new Steam Deck OLED, a model revision that boasts a more vibrant OLED screen and substantially improved battery life, Valve announced a special limited edition version of the handheld.
Boasting the same high specs as the standard 1TB OLED version, this limited edition comes in a super stylish colorway featuring smoky translucent plastic and bright orange hues. The package also includes a special limited edition version of the console’s newly redesigned carrying case in addition to some bonus digital goodies.
It seems like a perfect callback to the glory days of translucent plastic handhelds, like the absolutely iconic Atomic Purple Game Boy Color. Although the limited edition model is currently only set for release in the US and Canada, it seems likely to sell out fairly quickly, judging by the limited stock and current high level of demand.
Many have been rightfully worried, however, about the possibility of scalpers - dubious resellers who use automated bots to buy up the stock of desirable products to sell them at vastly inflated aftermarket prices - getting their hands on the majority of the stock. After all, this was something we saw quite a lot during the PlayStation 5 shortage last year, where many unlucky gamers had to pay well above the console’s RRP to get their hands on PS5s from sites like eBay.
Thankfully, it seems that Valve has anticipated this concern and unveiled a whole host of measures aimed to combat any attempts by scalpers to buy the product. Posting on Twitter, the company revealed that it is “taking steps to minimize bots and resellers” and that your Steam account needs to meet the following conditions to purchase the limited edition Steam Deck OLED model:
- You need to be in the United States or Canada
- Your account needs to be in good standing
- Your account needs to have made a purchase on Steam before November 2023
There will also only be one unit available per eligible account. Even if the efficacy of these measures it yet to be seen, it is still very reassuring to see a company try and take proactive steps in order to protect consumers from having to buy at inflated prices.
For more on handheld gaming, visit our guides to the best handheld games consoles or read our original Steam Deck review.
