If you're waiting for the right time to buy a Steam Deck, you should get one now. Valve is releasing refurbished versions of the console, and they come at cheaper prices than the original. The company claims that it's just as good as it will work like it's brand new.
Refurbished Steam Deck
Before you buy one, you should know that refurbished electronics are items that have been sent back by the previous buyer due to certain defects that affect their functions. It is then fixed by the company to make it just like new at a lower price.
Official, certified-refurbished Steam Decks come with a one-year warranty if you're worried about their quality. Given its previous state, you can purchase the item at a much lower price, depending on the variation you prefer.
The 64GB refurbished Steam Deck would cost you $319, as opposed to $399 if it's brand new. The 256GB model will cost $419, which is a huge markdown from $529. The 512GB version costs $519 compared to the original $649 price.
It's just like any other Valve handheld available in stores, which means you'll still get the same specs such as the Zen 2-based AMD CPU, integrated Radeon GPU, 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, a charger, and a carrying case, as listed by Ars Technica.
Valve guarantees that each refurnished Steam Deck has been thoroughly tested to the same high standard as its retail units. It goes through a factory reset, software update, and extensive examination through 100 tests in a Valve facility.
The tests are to make sure that everything works fine with functions like controller inputs, audio and screen outputs, as well as internals. The battery health is also looked into to make sure that it's just as good as retail products.
The only potential downsides you'll encounter are small scratches from the previous owner, but that's a small sacrifice if you're getting it for a significantly lower price. It's likely not going to affect your gameplay or how the device runs.
What To Know About Refurbished Electronics
Refurbished items, as mentioned before, are products that were defective as they were delivered or bought. As a result, the buyers would return and refund the item to get a new one that works fine. These items are then sent back to facilities to be repaired.
Compared to open-box returns, refurbished items have already been used by the buyer, and some have for a while that it may have sustained a few chips or scratches. Open-box returns are mostly unused, where owners return them just because they changed their minds.
In the refurbished Steam Deck's case, the manufacturer does the repair themselves so you can expect that it was fixed by experts. If you're purchasing a refurbished item, check if they come with the same warranty as the retail product.
It's also best to check if the product is repaired by the manufacturer itself or just third-party professionals, and if the items that come with the original purchase are included in the set. With the refurbished Steam Deck, you'll likely get a good enough deal out of it.
