New figures from analysis outfit IDC present that Valve’s Steam Deck is probably going nonetheless the preferred handheld gaming PC by far. However, the marketplace for handhelds fell by 50% in 2024 versus 2023 and total volumes are nonetheless very small in comparison with desktop and laptop computer gaming PCs, and consoles as well.
IDC was commissioned by the Verge to interrupt out the perfect knowledge the analysis outfit had on handheld gaming PCs. That knowledge covers the most important gamers within the handheld market, specifically the Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and MSI Claw.
Slightly frustratingly, it doesn’t embody Chinese handhelds from GPD, Ayaneo, OneXPlayer and others. However, it is usually thought these are smaller quantity merchandise.
Whatever, the numbers go like this. IDC places total handheld gross sales for 2022 at 1,620,000 models. That rose to 2,867,000 models for 2023 earlier than falling again precipitously to 1,485,000 in 2024.
IDC would not break these figures down intimately. However, it would say the total 2022 determine is all Steam Deck, whereas 2023 is in extra of fifty% Steam Deck and 48% of 2024’s numbers are once more Steam Deck.
All advised, than means Valve has in all probability bought about 4 million Steam Decks thus far. Not dangerous. On the opposite hand and to supply some context, actually roughly round 35 to 50 million desktop gaming graphics playing cards are bought yearly, whereas the marketplace for gaming laptops today, once more very roughy, is round 30 million models yearly.
Console gross sales are fairly cyclical, however annual unit gross sales of Sony and Microsoft consoles mixed are likewise usually measured within the low 10s of thousands and thousands of models, whereas the Nintendo Switch has shifted 150 million models since 2017, which works out to about 20 million models a 12 months.
So, PC gaming handhelds are nonetheless a really small area of interest in comparison with different gaming PCs and mainstream gaming gadgets like the massive consoles from Sony and Microsoft and arguably the closest analogue, the Nintendo Switch.
As for the longer term, IDC is forecasting 1,926,000 handheld gross sales for 2025. Again, that is only for the Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and MSI Claw and never together with smaller gamers.
That’s higher than 2024 however nonetheless nicely, nicely down on the two.9 million models of 2023. So, it is exhausting to argue that the hand-held gaming PC market is exploding. Where it goes from right here is tough to foretell.
However, if there’s one lesson right here, The Verge in all probability has it proper. These handhelds in all probability work greatest with actually customized silicon just like the Aerith and Sephiroth AMD-based chips within the unique Steam Deck and the Steam Deck OLED versus utilizing the generic APUs with which all the opposite methods make do.
