As a tech enthusiast and storyteller here at Digital Tech Explorer, I often find myself drawn to the vast online marketplace of eBay. Whether I’m on the hunt for an elusive anime figure that I missed the pre-order period for, or I’m looking for the final piece for a LARP costume, eBay occasionally surfaces treasures at reasonable prices. You’re never quite sure what you’ll unearth exploring its digital depths; I’ve certainly found myself pining after at least one unique tech find I definitely don’t need—like the recent story of a fabled Steam Deck prototype.
eBay Listing of a Steam Deck Prototype
One adventurous Redditor stumbled upon a listing on the online marketplace claiming to be just that. That’s not the wildest part; the seller, known as StormCityRetro, initially listed the alleged Steam Deck development unit with an asking price of nearly $3,000 or best offer. Wilder still, this rare find apparently did sell—for $2,000.
Examining the Marketplace Find’s Authenticity and Details
While the seller didn’t detail in the listing just how they acquired this unique piece of hardware, they claimed it is a legitimate pre-production version. However, their own testing revealed no OS installed. Steam Deck HQ notes that, even with this particular unit’s missing right thumbstick, it bears a striking resemblance to a confirmed early model Valve showcased on page 12 of their digital booklet. Both handhelds feature round touchpads and distinctive blue button accents, but it’s crucial to remember that the authenticity of the marketplace find has not yet been fully verified.
Images of the original listing, captured by Notebookcheck, display the device’s BIOS. These reveal the early handheld’s unnamed AMD APU contains Picasso silicon, dating back to at least 2019. This Ryzen 3000-era hardware likely features up to four enabled Zen+ cores and Vega (GCN 5.0) based graphics. The Steam Deck familiar to users today, which debuted in 2022, boasts tech specs that comfortably leave this supposed early version in the dust.
Valve engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais posted on X (formerly Twitter) back in 2022 about a very similar looking early iteration of the Steam Deck, which he also described as utilizing a Picasso APU. He stated, “[The] Picasso APU [had] about half of the GPU power of the final Deck,” before discussing the blue-accented development unit’s form factor: “The flatter ergo was an interesting experiment and taught us a ton about comfort.”
Complicating matters further, with the purported early model now sold, the original listing is difficult to find directly on the auction site. However, Kotaku notes it can still be found via sites that access the marketplace’s API, confirming that, yes, someone somewhere really did put down 2,000 smackers for it on April 8th.
The Reddit post includes images from the original active listing, showing the underside of the handheld development unit. A sticker on its back identifies it as ‘Engineering Sample’ number 34. Humorously, the same sticker also declares the unit ‘not for resale.’ Well, it seems that ship has sailed, as this engineering sample was sold on the platform, fetching $2,000 as previously noted.
The Trend of Surfacing Tech Prototypes
This isn’t the first instance of fabled tech early versions surfacing unexpectedly. For example, the heavily rumored but never-released GeForce RTX 4090 Ti was reportedly discovered in a bin last year before the YouTube channel Gamers Nexus acquired it for testing. Perhaps the buyer of this particular Steam Deck engineering sample will offer a closer look in the future, much to the delight of tech enthusiasts at Digital Tech Explorer and beyond.
Acquiring a Steam Deck Through Official Channels
Still, if you’ve decided you truly need Valve’s handheld gaming PC in your life (perhaps after reading compelling reviews or experiences), you don’t necessarily have to scour online marketplaces for a deal. Last year, Valve itself began offering certified refurbished units (for both the standard LCD model and the impressive OLED Steam Deck). That said, supplies for these refurbs are understandably limited, so frequent checking is advised.
Further Reading and Recommendations
Best handheld gaming PC: What’s the best travel buddy?
Steam Deck OLED review: Our verdict on Valve’s handheld.
Best Steam Deck accessories: Get decked out.
Story by TechTalesLeo for Digital Tech Explorer. Follow more of our tech explorations and coding insights on Digital Tech Explorer.