The Steam Deck OLED is the actual deal. Whereas it’s not a revolutionary improve over the unique Steam Deck, new options like an OLED HDR-capable show, Wi-Fi 6, and improved cooling make an enormous distinction. Like its predecessor, this handheld is an engineering marvel.
I’m a giant fan of the Steam Deck and like it to extra highly effective Home windows 11 handhelds just like the Asus ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go. The Steam Deck OLED is a good higher model of the unique system. For those who already personal a Steam Deck and solely play it often, you most likely don’t have to improve. Nevertheless, should you’re new to Steam Deck or if the unique is your major gaming platform, buying it’s a no-brainer.
My full Steam Deck OLED overview will go dwell quickly. For now, listed here are my preliminary hands-on impressions of Valve’s handheld.
Steam Deck OLED hands-on overview: Specs
| Row 0 – Cell 0 | Steam Deck OLED (512GB) | Steam Deck OLED (1TB) |
| Value | $549 | $649 |
| Chipset | Customized AMD Zen 2 “Van Gogh” APU | Customized AMD Zen 2 “Van Gogh” APU |
| Storage | 512GB | 1TB |
| Working system | SteamOS | SteamOS |
| Show | 1280 x 800 HDR OLED | 1280 x 800 HDR OLED (anti-glare etched glass) |
| Ports | 1 USB-C, 1 3.5 mm audio jack, 1 microSD card reader | 1 USB-C, 1 3.5 mm audio jack, 1 microSD card reader |
| Dimensions | 11.73 x 4.6 x 1.93 inches | 11.73 x 4.6 x 1.93 inches |
| Weight | 1.4 kilos | 1.4 kilos |
| Battery | 3 to 12 hours (rated) | 3 to 12 hours (rated) |
Steam Deck OLED hands-on overview: Value and availability
The Steam Deck OLED launches on November 16 at 1 pm ET on the Steam retailer. Word that, in contrast to with the earlier mannequin, you received’t be positioned on a ready record. Models will ship instantly.
There are two totally different OLED variations to select from. The $549 mannequin has 512GB of SSD storage whereas the premium $649 version packs a giant 1TB SSD and an anti-reflective show. Each models include a carrying case.
Valve is phasing out the previous 64GB and 512GB fashions and is now promoting them at a lowered value of $349 and $449, respectively. These can be out there till inventory runs out. The unique 256GB Steam Deck (which is the one I personal) now serves because the entry-level Steam Deck mannequin at $399.
Steam Deck OLED hands-on overview: Design
At a look, the Steam Deck OLED is indistinguishable from the unique mannequin. It retains the identical controller structure, ergonomic handgrips and port placement. The all-black plastic chassis seems and feels as nice as ever.
The brand new Steam Deck is as giant as the unique at 11.7 x 4.6 x 1.9 inches. Nevertheless, it’s now lighter at 1.4 kilos. 1.5 to 1.4 kilos may not appear to be a large distinction, however belief me, it makes the system simpler to carry for longer intervals. I initially stated the Steam Deck was the most important gaming handheld I’d ever examined. However after going hands-on with the large Lenovo Legion Go, Valve’s machine appears tiny compared.
There are two analog sticks and two trackpads on both facet of the show, together with a D-pad on the left and X/Y/A/B buttons on the appropriate. The View and Menu buttons function Choose and Pause in-game, respectively, whereas the Steam and Fast Entry buttons allow you to entry SteamOS.
Quantity buttons, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a USB-C port and an influence button reside between the shoulder buttons. There are additionally 4 programmable again buttons and an SD card reader on the Steam Deck’s underside. Two audio system reside beneath the Steam and Fast Entry buttons, respectively. You’ll additionally discover air vents alongside the highest.
Total, I’m pleased Valve didn’t radically alter the Steam Deck’s design because it already regarded nice. Additionally, because the new Steam Deck is similar measurement as the unique, it can match inside any instances or skins you might have bought for it.
Steam Deck OLED hands-on overview: Show
The brand new Steam Deck’s OLED show is a marvel to behold. It’s brighter than ever, and the distinction between darkish and lightweight parts makes the colourful colours actually pop. Because of the thinner bezels, the show measurement is now 7.4 inches broad in comparison with 7 inches — supplying you with extra to see.
As I did on the unique Steam Deck, I examined Cyberpunk 2077, Doom Everlasting and Marvel’s Spider-Man. These titles look spectacular on the unique Steam Deck’s LCD show, however are jaw-dropping on the OLED mannequin due to the colourful picture high quality. Particularly, I used to be most impressed after I enabled HDR in every recreation. I used to be more than pleased to have my retinas scorched by the intense neon lights in Cyberpunk 2077, for instance.
Our lab exams confirmed my anecdotal expertise. After we pointed our Klein K10-A colorimeter on the display screen, we discovered that it achieved 597 nits of brightness. That’s not solely brighter than the Lenovo Legion Go (476 nits) and Asus ROG Ally (465) however a lot brighter than the unique Steam Deck, which averaged 169 nits of brightness.
After we examined the Steam Deck’s HDR luminance, we discovered that it achieved 969 nits of brightness when viewing HDR content material. That is not the marketed 1,000 nits, however I doubt anybody will complain.
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Steam Deck OLED | Steam Deck | Asus ROG Ally | Lenovo Legion Go |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nits (brightness) | 597 | 169 | 465 | 476 |
| sRGB | 143.7% | 68.5% | 108.6% | 151.8% |
| DCI-P3 | 101.8% | 48.5% | 76.9% | 107.5% |
| Delta-E | 0.22 | 0.25 | 0.17 | 0.21 |
Concerning shade saturation, the Steam Deck OLED achieved 143.7% of the sRGB shade gamut and 101.8% of the extra demanding DCI-P3 shade house (nearer to 100% is greatest for each). Colour accuracy-wise, the display screen scored 0.22 on the Delta-E take a look at (nearer to 0 is greatest).
In distinction, the Legion Go (151.8% / 107.5% / 0.21) delivers extra oversaturated colours whereas the Asus ROG Ally (108.6% / 76.9% / 0.17) produced much less saturated hues. All of those handhelds’ respective screens make the display screen on the unique Steam Deck (68.5% / 48.5% / 0.25) seem boring compared.
Total, I am very proud of the brand new OLED show. That, together with the anti-glare function of our overview unit makes an enormous visible distinction. It is a type of issues you have to see for your self to actually respect.
Steam Deck OLED hands-on overview: Controls
As I discussed above, the brand new Steam Deck has the identical controller structure as earlier than — which is itself the identical structure you’ll discover in most trendy controllers. The buttons are larger than these discovered on the Nintendo Change’s Pleasure-Con controllers however smaller than the buttons on an Xbox Sequence X or PS5 DualSense controller.
That stated, the thumbsticks are extra concave than the earlier mannequin, making them extra comfy to make use of. The sticks (and buttons) present a satisfying stage of resistance. Like earlier than, the again buttons are situated the place your center and ring fingers naturally relaxation, which makes them straightforward to succeed in.
The video games I discussed above felt as intuitive to play on Steam Deck as on console and PC. Whether or not it was mowing down and evading monsters in Doom Everlasting, driving by Night time Metropolis in Cyberpunk 2077, or web-zipping throughout Manhattan in Spider-Man, the controls are excellent for many video games. That stated, I nonetheless discover utilizing the trackpads beneath the analog sticks cumbersome for RTS video games like Command & Conquer: Remastered.
Since I appreciated the controls of the unique Steam Deck, I’ve nothing to complain about with the brand new handheld’s controls. All the pieces simply feels superior to play.
Steam Deck OLED hands-on overview: Efficiency
We haven’t accomplished our Steam Deck OLED benchmark exams but. Nevertheless, based mostly on my expertise to date, this new handheld delivers comparable efficiency to its predecessor.
At their respective medium graphical settings, Doom Everlasting and Spider-Man ran between 35 to 45 frames per second. Contemplating how the latter is a huge open-world recreation, these outcomes are very spectacular. Talking of open-world video games, Cyberpunk 2077, which has a devoted “Steam Deck” graphical setting ran at a constant 30 fps. These are the identical values I skilled on the unique Steam Deck, so I’m not complaining about efficiency.
I’ll have our in-house benchmark scores in my remaining overview, however I count on the Steam Deck OLED’s numbers can be near the unique’s.
Steam Deck OLED hands-on overview: Battery life & warmth
We’re nonetheless testing the Steam Deck, so we don’t but understand how for much longer it lasts in comparison with the LCD mannequin. Valve claims the Steam Deck OLED has 30-50% extra battery life due to its bigger battery and the way the OLED show attracts much less energy. The up to date and extra environment friendly AMD APU (6nm in comparison with 7nm) is one other issue that saves battery life, in line with Valve.
Based mostly alone expertise, the Steam Deck OLED isn’t as noisy as earlier than because it has quieter followers. I additionally observed the vents don’t really feel practically as sizzling after prolonged play classes. I haven’t performed it sufficient to have drained the battery, so I think Valve’s claims a few longer battery life aren’t utterly off. However as I stated, our lab exams will tell us for positive.
Steam Deck OLED hands-on overview: Outlook
The Steam Deck OLED improves upon an already nice handheld and is now the definitive model to purchase for newcomers or hardcore Steam Deck customers. The attractive OLED panel alone is well worth the value of admission, however different updates comparable to sooner Wi-Fi, a lighter construct and higher cooling make the system extra engaging.
My full overview will go dwell quickly, so keep tuned!
