First of all this isn't politics. It’s a video game toy. And not sure why my question made you think I’m unable to read sales numbers. I literally asked you what number you’re referring to.
Anyhow: 3 million is not impressive. Consoles sell millions a day. 3 million is a joke. The Nokia handheld console N Gage sold 3 million in the same amount of time.
The Nokia N GAGE.
This thing:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/N-Gage_(device)#/media/File%3ANokia-NGage-LL.jpg
A device that’s considered to be the ultimate butt of jokes in the gaming world. Second to only the Nintendo virtual boy.
That said, sales don’t determine if a device is good or not. I’m sure the Steak Deck is absolutely wonderful. And I had it pre-order day one. I just don’t game as much lately so I couldn’t justify the purchase on release. Didn’t want to have a device sitting around; after not using my Valve Index I became more hesitant about buying more hardware.
From your own source:
“It is clear Steam Deck remains a niche portion of the PC gaming landscape,” commented James McWhirter, Senior Analyst covering Games at Omdia. “However, this is unlikely to deter Valve, which has plans beyond just selling hardware units.”
The steak deck doesn’t need to be successful in sales to be a great product. It’s a PC with a different form factor. There’s no downside to it being unpopular as long as you enjoy it.