Buying a Steam Deck in Australia: how to purchase the PC gaming handheld down under

Good news, PC gamers in Australia: Valve has officially started selling the Steam Deck down under, with the same three models available as in other markets around the globe.

With this news, the best way for most Aussies to buy the Steam Deck in Australia is now through Steam itself. Previously, the only way Australians could purchase the Deck was through third parties via websites like Amazon and Kogan, however these came with the notable disadvantage of a different wall plug to the Australian standard and potential complications when it came to the warranty (as you wouldn’t be able to go through Valve directly, and you’d be dealing with a third party vendor).

For the uninitiated, the Valve Steam Deck is a handheld games console that was released to critical acclaim in the US on February 25, 2022. Back then, it was only released in the US, UK, Canada and the European Union, and it took until October 2024 for Valve to confirm that the Deck would indeed be coming to Australia.

Read on to discover all the ways you can buy a Steam Deck in Australia.

Steam Deck: Where to buy one in Australia

The easiest way to buy the Steam Deck in Australia is through Valve directly. Going over to the Steam PC gaming platform, the Deck can be ordered for delivery in the same storefront that you would buy digital games.

However, there remains the option of purchasing the Steam Deck through a third party supplier. Now that the Deck is available down under in an official capacity, this is hard to recommend, though it might be an attractive alternative in some edge cases. Say if the delivery time is lower, you have gift cards or store credit to burn, or if you spot a slightly better deal than what Valve is offering.

Retailers that stock the Steam Deck in Australia include Kogan and Dick Smith. These local retailers all have imported stock, so you can be safe in the knowledge that you will indeed get a genuine console. That being said, these are international models at the time of writing and so aren't guaranteed to come with a local Australian warranty. They also won’t come with an Australian wall socket unless specified otherwise.

Customer reviews appear to be positive of the third party Steam Deck listings, with some claiming they received their Steam Deck within a week and that the whole ordering and delivery process can be trusted.

The same applies if you want to try your luck on eBay . The massive online marketplace isn't the first place we'd recommend buying a Steam Deck from, but if you do find listings from reputable Australian sellers then you will be protected by Australian Consumer Law.

Steam Deck: Pricing & availability in Australia

With the Steam Deck officially out in Australia as of November 19, pricing and delivery times are no longer a mystery. Pricing is listed below.

• Steam Deck LCD (256GB): AU$649
• Steam Deck OLED (512GB): AU$899
• Steam Deck OLED (1TB): AU$1,049

The device can be purchased on Steam directly. Valve estimates delivery times for each Steam Deck model in Australia to be between 6-10 days at the time of writing, though early orders for the Deck were estimated at a much lower delivery time of between 3-5 business days, so delivery estimates might calm down when we get further from the initial release date.

If you go shopping for the Steam Deck from third-party retailers, you’ll see things get complicated. Firstly, you’ll see listings for two of the original three Steam Deck models, which were available with 64GB, 256GB and 512GB size options with LCD screens. These were discontinued in 2023 with the 512GB and 1TB OLED display options introduced instead, though some third party retailers still have stock for those no longer officially available models.

The other thing you’ll notice is that the price is not great compared to models sold through Valve officially. The 64GB model, for example, can be purchased on Amazon for a starting price of AU$785 – higher than the cost of the 256GB LCD Deck from Valve directly by AU$136.

The 64GB model is, however, an edge case, as listings for the 256GB, 512GB OLED and 1TB OLED models are closer to their Steam Store rivals – but still higher.

Below you'll find a snapshot of Steam Deck deals from third party retailers across the internet. It'd be rare to see a deal below the cost of a Steam Deck directly through Valve, but you may have some store credit to burn through one of these third parties that make it an attractive prospect.

Steam Deck: Specs and configuration in Australia

Valve's Steam Deck is sold in three different options, with the main differences being display, battery size and storage capacity. Apart from these things, each model's specs are mostly the same.

When we first published this article in 2023, a 64GB LCD model was available, along with 256GB and 512GB LCD models. At the time of writing, the current Steam Deck line-up consists of a 256GB LCD entry-level option (the same that was originally the mid-tier option back when the Deck first debuted), a 512GB OLED model, and a 1TB OLED model with an etched-glass anti-glare display.

The 256GB model uses eMMC storage, as opposed to the SSD storage found on the 512GB and 1TB models, and all support microSD storage expansion. Valve also estimates between 2-8 hours of gameplay depending on content with the 256GB LCD model (which includes a 40Whr battery), while the OLED models offer between 3-12 hours of gameplay (with a 50Whr battery).

As already mentioned, there is a single LCD screen model and two OLED models. The LCD model includes a 7-inch screen with 60Hz refresh rate, while OLEDs are slightly larger at 7.4-inches with a 90Hz refresh rate. The top-end 1TB OLED model includes an anti-glare etched glass screen, which is supposed to make gameplay better when playing in light heavy environments.

Elsewhere, all three models are the same. They're all powered by an AMD Zen 2 CPU (LCD model with 7 nm AMD APU, OLED models with 6 nm AMD APU), and an RDNA 2 APU for integrated graphics.

Full specs and configurations of all three Valve Steam Deck models can be found below.