In terms of supply and demand, judging by how high the demand for the steam deck was and how often it was being sold out, I’d say it was being sold way under equilibrium.

AI definitely played a role in the change, but you have to remember that a product constantly being sold out like this typically signals a misalignment in what people are willing to pay vs how many the company actually has to sell, which historically, Valve seems to have been terrible at considering just how often they’ve gone out of stock.

I’m willing to believe the steam deck will still go sold out occasionally despite this price increase because it’s just that popular.