Meet the gamers who couldn’t wait for the Steam Deck’s offical Australian launch

And the resulting grey market the device’s hype created.

No Australian launch is complete without at least one picture of the product juxtaposed against our most famous landmarks. Source: Steam Offical Website

Chris Hansford tempted fate buying a second-hand Steam Deck off Facebook marketplace. He wasn't scammed, and his model arrived as advertised. It was instead an unfortunate case of terrible timing.

Hansford purchased the device a few weeks before the company announced they would start selling the Steam Deck in Australia in late November. Had he known, he just would have waited.

"I had just assumed we were missing out on the Steam Deck," he said. "It was released in many countries, then followed up with the OLED model, so honestly I'm surprised they would launch it here so late."

"I figured if I'm getting something without a warranty, I might as well get a cheap one so if it's rubbish or breaks straight away it's no big loss."

Launched in February 2022, the Steam Deck quickly rocketed to become one of the most hyped devices in gaming on the …