Valve is taking up to 20 percent off the Steam Deck to celebrate Steam’s 20th anniversary

Another week, another roundup of celebratory anniversary sales to take advantage of. First up is Valve, which is discounting the Steam Deck through September 21st in honor of Steam’s recent 20th anniversary. There are a number of configurations of Valve’s handheld gaming PC to choose from, with the 64GB configuration going for $359.10 ($39.90 off), the 256GB version going for $449.65 ($79.35 off), and the 512GB version with the anti-glare screen going for $519.20 (about $130 off). Valve is also discounting the long-delayed Steam Deck Docking Station to $71.20 (about $18 off), giving you a cheaper way to connect the handheld to your TV or monitor.

For those unaware, Valve’s Steam Deck wasn’t exactly a winner when it launched early last year. It’s come a long way since then, though, leading to a flurry of like-minded imitators even if it technically wasn’t the first handheld gaming PC you could get. It’s still arguably the best way to play games on the go outside of the Nintendo Switch, due in part to its powerful hardware and a set of customizable controls that let you tackle games from numerous decades. In fact, there are now more than 10,000 verified and playable titles to choose from — just in case your video game backlog wasn’t robust enough.

The Steam Deck is a portable handheld console you can use to play PC games.

As we noted in yesterday’s deal roundup, Google is also running a Pixel-centric sale in celebration of its 25th birthday, slashing prices on Pixel phones and throwing in all sorts of freebies (including a colorful mini tote). The Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 6A are surely the marquee deals, but let’s not forget Google’s humble Pixel Watch, which is currently on sale in the Wi-Fi configuration for $299.99 ($50 off) or with LTE for $339.99 ($60 off). Google is even including two years of free data with the cellular model, so long as you have an active wireless plan.

Obviously, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out that Google is hosting a fall hardware event on October 20th, where it’s set to unveil a second-gen Pixel Watch with a new sensor array, dustproofing, and likely a few other upgrades. That said, Google’s first-gen wearable still offers a slick domed display, Fitbit integration for health tracking, and — most notably — no caveats for non-Pixel Android users, rendering it one of the more promising smartwatches in recent years. Google could drop the price following the release of the second-gen model next month, but truth be told, I doubt it’s dipping below $300 anytime soon.

Google’s first in-house smartwatch has a beautiful domed display and native Fitbit integration for health tracking. The 41mm wearable comes with six months of Fitbit Premium and three months of YouTube Music.

• Preorders for the upcoming Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and the various iPhone 15 models are ongoing. Thankfully, if you want to save on any of Apple’s upcoming devices, Eneba is discounting a selection of Apple gift cards until 7AM ET on September 18th when you use promo code BigApple. Right now, for instance, you can grab a $25 digital gift card for $21.79 and a $50 digital gift card for $43.19, both of which can be put toward the App Store, subscriptions, or hardware.
• Govee’s ultrabright 16.4-foot LED Strip Light M1 is on sale at Amazon for just $69.99 when you clip the on-page coupon for $30 off. The tunable RGBWIC light strip is a great option with addressable segments and one of the few that works with the new Matter standard, which renders it compatible with a wide range of platforms. Read our review.
• In a move we seldom see, Amazon is discounting Nintendo’s pastel-colored Joy-Cons, dropping the controllers to $73.49 (about $7 off) for the first time. There’s nothing new about these particular models other than their Easter-esque color scheme — they still offer motion controls, HD rumble, etc. — but then again, who really is going to balk at having a few more color options to choose from?
• If you’re someone who has trouble sleeping and could benefit from a white noise machine, the LectroFan Evo has just hit an all-time low of $29.96 ($30 off) at Amazon. The simple device is a low-cost staple that can often be found in our gift guides, one that can produce a soothing array of deep, non-looping sounds that are designed to mask unwanted noise.
• Speaking of pastels, Amazon’s colorful Echo Pop is available at Amazon, Best Buy, and Kohl’s right now in select colors for $22.99 ($17 off). That’s the best price we’ve seen on the Alexa-enabled smart speaker to date, at least for non-Prime members, making what was already a bargain at $40 that much more attractive. Read our review.