• A modder has taken the innards of a Steam Deck and put them into a Game Boy-style case
• The end result is the 'SteamBoy', although it's not quite finished (the screen doesn't yet work)
• There's a lot of excitement about this DIY project, and some gamers have even said they'd be keen to buy a retro handheld like this

Ever wished the Steam Deck looked a bit more retro — or indeed a lot more retro? Meet the 'SteamBoy', which takes the innards of Valve's handheld and transplants them into a case styled on the Game Boy.

Steam Deck HQ noticed this clever piece of modding in the form a project by 'PhyFawkes' as posted on Reddit (via VideoCardz).

The SteamBoy uses the motherboard, controller, buttons, speakers, and battery from the Steam Deck, fitting the components into a case which the maker says is the same dimensions as an original Game Boy, with a thickness of 32mm (yes, it's thick).

PhyFawkes explains: "The battery is the original battery, and it basically takes up the whole width of the device on the inside. It's sandwiched between the motherboard and the display. The motherboard and controller boards are completely intact as well."

The only element that isn't functional yet is the screen, so this device is still a work in progress. The Redditor has demonstrated it working on an external monitor, though.

Analysis: next stop Kickstarter?

The snag with getting the screen going is that the motherboard firmware reports the display properties directly to SteamOS, and so the firmware details must be updated with the info for the new screen. The Redditor says it hopefully it won't take too long to sort this out.

Another part of the recipe that's missing is the triggers, but PhyFawkes says that they might be able to add them eventually, but that space constraints with the case could make this too tricky a proposition.

Apparently the handheld runs cool enough with some slight under-volting. All in all, this a very smart-looking project, and I'm seriously impressed. The case itself is 3D-printed, with the Redditor noting that they're going to provide the details on how to make one for those who might want to try their hand at this enterprising piece of handheld DIY.

Of course, constructing something like this is well beyond the scope of your average gamer, and there are fans of this concept out there who'd be willing to pay money for a SteamBoy of their own. Plenty of them, in fact, as the reception for this project has been nothing short of glowing.

As someone on Reddit put it: "This is legitimately so cool. I would totally back something like this on Kickstarter."

Another Redditor said: "Looks amazing! I'd probably buy 2 of these bad boys."

• Valve's Steam Deck has reportedly seen 82% fewer units sold, due to price increases
• The estimates are based on the handheld's position in Steam's global weekly top seller rankings
• The purported demand plummet suggests the hype for handheld gaming PCs may be spoiled, as a result of the RAM crisis

It's fair to say that Valve was largely responsible for the resurgence in popularity of handheld gaming with the Steam Deck (of course, Nintendo also played its part with its Switch console), but the RAM crisis has apparently undone a lot of the work.

According to an analysis from Boiling Steam, the Steam Deck's sales have reportedly fallen by 82% on average, due to the price increase for both LCD and OLED models. The analysis is based on the Steam Deck's position in the weekly top seller rankings on Steam, including calculations and estimates made regarding revenue from the devices.

Boiling Steam claims that a 72% revenue contraction and a 54% price increase have "completely shut down the demand" for the Steam Deck, which has ultimately resulted in the suggested 82% fewer units sold on average.

These certainly aren't far-fetched suggestions, especially because some of the official data from Valve indicates that. In the global weekly top seller rankings, the Steam Deck is currently in 14th place, a drastic fall from a position in the top five.

It's also worth noting that the LCD model is discontinued (still pending discontinuation in Australia), meaning the minimum consumers would have to spend for a Steam Deck would be $789 / £649 / AU$1,199 for the 512GB OLED model. Stock for the latter and its 1TB counterpart is also intermittent due to RAM and memory shortages.

Worse value

Most importantly, both OLED models are priced much closer to the Steam Machine ($1,049 / £879 / AU$1,609) than before, which is a more powerful fully-fledged desktop gaming PC — and perhaps that explains why the mini gaming PC is currently third in weekly top seller rankings on Steam (even if it's only been there for a week).

The Steam Deck is also an aging device, with more powerful mobile hardware for handheld gaming having been released since the launch of Valve's handheld. The Steam Deck used to get a pass as it was a lot cheaper than newer, more powerful, competitors, but due to the price increase that's no longer the case.

It's not all Valve's fault, as the RAM crisis has effectively hit every PC manufacturer in 2026. After all, it's the reason why the Steam Machine costs as much as it does, as the market conditions forced Valve's hand to avoid selling at a loss.

However, the supposed significant drop in Steam Deck demand from consumers, combined with the $1,000+ prices for other handheld gaming PCs, serves as a strong indication that handheld PC gaming is becoming a very niche option for gamers once again — and it wasn't exactly mainstream to begin with.