Buying a Steam Deck in Australia is now much easier

Kogan, Amazon and more are selling the Steam Deck in Australia. 

Steam Deck 256GB SSD
Starts at$779
Storage
256GB SSD
RAM
16GB
Steam Deck
Steam Deck 64GB
Starts at$709
Storage
64GB
RAM
16GB
Steam Deck
Steam Deck 512GB
Starts at$849
Storage
512GB
RAM
16GB
Fergus Halliday
Oct 11, 2024
Icon Time To Read3 min read

What is the Steam Deck?

The Steam Deck is Valve’s latest venture into the world of consumer electronics hardware. The device is a portable PC with a handheld form-factor that promises to leverage powerful specs and the enormous library of games that are available on the Steam online store

Under the hood, the Steam Deck is powered by a custom AMD Zen 2 processor, 16 GB of LPDDR5 memory and up to 512 GB of SSD storage. The big picture appeal here is an on-the-go gaming experience with fewer compromises than Nintendo Switch has, plus a much bigger and better catalog of playable titles.

At launch, the Steam Deck proved incredibly difficult for Australians to purchase but late in 2022, various online retailers began stocking it, making it much easier to purchase locally. 

As of October 2024, Valve has finally confirmed plans to bring the Steam Deck and Steam Deck OLED to Australia. Both devices will launch in November 2024, with local prices starting at $649.

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The best Steam Deck alternatives

Can’t get your hands on Valve’s handheld? These might work in the meantime

How to buy a Steam Deck in Australia

Steam Deck games library

As mentioned above, the Steam Deck is now available to purchase through various Australian retailers online but it still hasn't appeared in brick-and-mortar stores, like JB HI-FI or EB Games. That said, local availability for Valve products in Australia has been notoriously unpredictable in the past.

At one point in time, Valve’s Steam Link streaming box and the accompanying Steam Controller were readily available and sold in Australia via an alliance with EB Games. Then, Valve’s Index VR headset didn’t arrive in Australia until two years after it launched elsewhere.

For years now, the best option has to simply purchase a Steam Deck from overseas via resellers like Amazon or Kogan. Both websites offer fast, free shipping on various models. However, there were a few caveats to this workaround.

In addition to the premium you're looking at paying relative to the overseas pricing for the device, buying one of these grey market imports means forgoing the safety net of a manufacturers warranty. Since 2022, that gamble has been a necessary one for Australians looking to get their hands on the Steam Deck.

From November 2024, that's set to change. Finally, Valve's gaming handheld will be available to buy through Steam with orders shipping out from a local warehouse.

Steam Deck Australian prices

Importing the Steam Deck starts at roughly $900 in Australia. See below for a list of Steam Deck deals currently available through Australian retailers.
Model
Details
Price
More info
512GB NVMe SSD, 16GB RAM
From$889
64GB NVMe SSD, 16GB RAM
From$709
256GB NVMe SSD, 16GB RAM
From$779
512GB NVMe SSD, 16GB RAM
From$849

If you can wait a little longer though, it might be worth it. Once Valve launches the handheld locally, the price of picking up the Steam Deck in Australia will look like this:

  • Steam Deck 256GB - From $649
  • Steam Deck OLED 512GB - From $899
  • Steam Deck OLED 1TB -  From $1049

Steam Deck release date

Steam Deck TV dock

The Valve Steam Deck officially released in the US, Canada and Europe on the 25th of February 2022, and in Japan later that year on the 17th of December. The Steam Deck may have not recieved an official release in Australia but as of January 2022, it has available for purchase through retailers such as Amazon Australia and Kogan.

Valve will be officially launching the Steam Deck and Steam Deck OLED in Australia in November 2024.

Steam Deck vs Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch Pro

When it comes to the specs involved, the Steam Deck has a number of technical advantages over the handheld it’s most likely to be compared against: the Nintendo Switch.

Check out the table below for a breakdown of how the display and processing specs on the Steam Deck compare to those of the three Nintendo Switch handhelds currently on the market.

Steam Deck
Nintendo Switch
Nintendo Switch (OLED)
Nintendo Switch Lite
Display7-inch LCD display6.2-inch LCD display7-inch OLED display5.5-inch LCD display
ProcessorAMD Zen 2Nvidia Tegra X1Nvidia Tegra X1Nvidia Tegra X1
Memory16GB4GB4GB4GB
Storage128GB / 256GB / 512 GB SSD32GB64GB32GB
Ports"USB Type-C port, Headphone jack""USB Type-C port, Headphone jack""USB Type-C port, Headphone jack""USB Type-C port, Headphone jack"
Fergus Halliday
Written by
Fergus Halliday is a journalist and editor for Reviews.org. He’s written about technology, telecommunications, gaming and more for over a decade. He got his start writing in high school and began his full-time career as the Editor of PC World Australia. Fergus has made the MCV 30 Under 30 list, been a finalist for seven categories at the IT Journalism Awards and won Most Controversial Writer at the 2022 Consensus Awards. He has been published in Gizmodo, Kotaku, GamesHub, Press Start, Screen Rant, Superjump, Nestegg and more.

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