Unlike Valve's previous mainline hardware project, the Steam Machines, Steam Deck seems to be doing significantly better on all fronts. The handheld gaming PC seems to be enjoying reasonably widespread adoption rates, the only cap being the fact that Valve can't produce more of them at this time.

The idea that Steam Deck is doing well is corroborated further by information drawn from SteamDB, which shows that the device has made its way to the very top of the Steam Weekly Top Sellers chart. It is handily beating the likes of Elden Ring and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, but there are some things worth keeping in mind about this development.

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Specifically, the SteamDB chart lists games by revenue, and it goes without saying that any given Steam Deck costs a fair bit more than even a new AAA game would. Still, with Steam Deck shipments ramping up, software support getting improved on a daily basis, and a growing list of games that work out of the box with minimum fiddling, the SteamDB chart seems like a good showcase of what to expect from Valve's first foray into handheld gaming.

Plenty of improvements to the Steam Deck have already been delivered since the device launched, and while the device's software and UI still need lots of work, Valve is making big strides with every major operating system update it pushes out. Naturally, this means that early adopters aren't getting an ideal experience at this time, but the SteamDB chart suggests that users are okay with sticking through SteamOS 3.0's growing pains.

Valve has discussed its future plans for Steam Deck already, citing bolstered production rates and software improvements across the board, as well as a growing list of games that players could simply pick up and play, as if using a proper console. With more than 2,000 games already having received the Verified or Playable status badges and with a wide variety of untested games working just fine, every Deck user can probably find a new game to play whenever they feel like it.

Circling back to Valve's old PC "console" devices, Gabe Newell thought Steam Machines could beat consoles at one point in 2015. However, that particular project ended up being a dud in the long run. But it's worth keeping in mind that, without Steam Machines, there'd probably be no Steam Deck either, as the failed experiment set the foundation for many ideas that ended up coming to fruition with the Deck. In any case, the future of the device seems bright indeed.

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Source: SteamDB