Epic CEO says Steam users are paying for higher component costs (for Gabe Newell’s superyachts)
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney criticizes Valve’s Steam Deck price increase.
© Valve/TheGameBusiness Steam Deck OLED now starts at $789
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has commented on Valve’s recent Steam Deck OLED price increase . The remarks were made in response to the new pricing, which raised the 512GB OLED model from $549 to $789 and the 1TB OLED model from $649 to $949.
Valve has not published a separate public statement for the new pricing (only a note about the change). The company did, however, warn that memory and storage shortages were affecting Steam Deck OLED availability.
Sweeney says Valve should cover the added cost
On X, Sweeney responded sarcastically to the Steam Deck OLED price increase, saying that component costs are ultimately funded by Steam customer spending. Then he added a jab about the ‘component parts supply chain for megayachts.’
Newell is known to own several superyachts. The fleet commonly linked to Gabe Newell is worth around $650M to $800M (there are no official figures, and they are often customized per order).
Everyone’s being too harsh here. There has been a significant rise in the cost of components that Steam customer spending ultimately funds, and economic trends have created severe disruptions in the component parts supply chain for megayachts. pic.twitter.com/w8iHVdSatK
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) May 28, 2026
Epic vs. Valve
Epic has long argued against Steam’s 30% store cut and Valve’s control over the PC gaming marketplace. To my knowledge, Newell has never publicly responded to these arguments, but he did once say that the competition in game stores is good but also ‘ugly in the short term’.
The Steam Deck OLED increase was quite high, to say the least. Valve seemingly waited until the last moment to increase the price to the point where it may not make much sense. The 1TB model is now $300 more expensive than its launch price, while the 512GB model is $240 more expensive. This also changes the comparison with Windows handhelds from ASUS, Lenovo, and MSI, many of which were already priced above the original Steam Deck OLED.
Perhaps this is a good chance for Epic Games to launch their own handheld and offer something even cheaper for gamers.
Source: NotebookCheck
