Comparing Steam Deck Sales to PlayStation Vita Sales

Sales Performance Comparison: Steam Deck vs. PS Vita

Steam Deck sales are significantly lower than the PS Vita, at approximately 3.7-4 million units sold compared to PS Vita’s sales.
Despite the Steam Deck’s 4 million units sold, the overall PC handheld market has seen only 5.9 million in total sales from competing devices.

The Steam Deck has achieved notable success in the handheld gaming space, selling around 3.7 to 4 million units globally. However, this figure pales in comparison to the PlayStation Vita, which managed to sell around 12 million units within the same timeframe following its release nearly a decade ago. According to insights from industry analysis firm IDC, while the Steam Deck commands the PC handheld market, the cumulative sales of all current PC gaming handhelds still fall short of what the PS Vita achieved by 2015.

Since its initial launch on February 25, 2022, in North America and Europe, and with the introduction of newer OLED models beginning in November 2023, the Steam Deck was designed to unleash the full potential of Steam’s game library in a portable format. Initial reception was overwhelmingly positive, with pre-orders selling out rapidly upon release.

Sales Estimates After 3 Years

PlayStation Vita – 12 million units
Steam Deck – 3.7-4 million units

While the Steam Deck demonstrates substantial market presence, capturing nearly 4 million sales, it still only constitutes a fragment of the total handheld gaming PC market, which saw nearly 6 million units sold from all devices, including competitors like Lenovo Legion Go, Asus ROG Ally, and MSI Claw.

Compellingly, discussions around a potential successor to the PS Vita have persisted among PlayStation enthusiasts. In 2015, former Sony Computer Entertainment President Shuhei Yoshida stated that the timing was not right for a new handheld, mainly due to the exponential growth of gaming on mobile devices. Since then, Sony’s focus has shifted towards expanding its offerings in other arenas, particularly through the release of the PlayStation VR series since 2016.

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