Valve may start selling refurbished Steam Decks, according to new leak

techradar.com:

Valve could soon start selling refurbished Steam Decks, according to leaked data that was briefly posted on the Steam Database before the storefront scrubbed the site clean of said data.

The listings that were marked «Certified Refurbished» all included the three current models of the Steam Deck — 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB. We even had possible pricing for each model, which was uncovered by Steam DB creator Pavel Djundik.

Those listings were as current as August 7, 2023, but had been taken down by August 8. According to PC Gamer, the store names had been “swiftly changed to the more generic «Unknown App» shortly thereafter, the descriptions were removed, and the store pages redirected to the storefront.”

What’s even more interesting is that while those refurbished prices weren’t final, they’re the same as the prices during the Steam Deck’s first-ever sale. So while it’s possible that Valve might not go the refurbished route, there’s a solid chance they will in the future.

The Steam Deck has been a huge success for Valve, so much so that a Steam Deck 2 is currently in consideration (though still a long way off). However, it’s still a pricey machine that those looking for a budget portable might otherwise avoid. Selling used or refurbished versions of its portable would be a solid idea, one that the gaming industry has embraced for decades.

Valve could easily repair Steam Decks, as most of its parts had already been made available through its partnership with iFixit. And most likely the cost of repairs is much cheaper due to this partnership, which could make a first-party refurbishing market quite profitable.

There could be worries about whether refurbished Decks will be covered under a warranty but, considering that even used