TL;DR
- Valve simply unveiled the Steam Deck OLED, with a bigger, higher-end show with a 90Hz refresh fee.
- Together with the upgraded show, it has Wi-Fi 6E assist, a bigger battery, and a brand new APU.
- The most affordable OLED mannequin is $549, which comes with a 512GB SSD.
As early as this yr, Valve shot down the thought of an OLED model of its in style gaming handheld often called the Steam Deck. The corporate identified that swapping out the unique LCD for an OLED panel could be tougher than it appears, and prompt the unique could be the usual for a very long time.
Properly, shock! Valve simply launched a Steam Deck OLED. It has a bigger, higher-quality show and a slew of different upgrades.
The unique LCD Steam Deck will nonetheless be that can be purchased. The 64GB and 512GB fashions might be discontinued and have momentary worth drops ($349 and $449, respectively), whereas provides final. In the meantime, the remaining 256GB mannequin will get a big everlasting worth drop to $399 and be saved as the brand new entry-tier model. Meaning the $399 you spent on an entry-tier Steam Deck yesterday would get you a mannequin with extra and quicker storage at present. Whoops.
In the meantime, there might be two OLED fashions. The primary could have a 512GB NVMe SSD for $549. The best-end mannequin will include a whopping 1TB of NVMe storage for $649.
Now, let’s speak about what makes the Steam Deck OLED totally different from the LCD fashions.
Steam Deck OLED: Greater than a reasonably show
Together with the improve from LCD to OLED, the brand new Steam Deck has a bodily bigger panel. The unique Deck had a 7-inch show when measured diagonally, however the brand new mannequin has a 7.4-inch show. It is a refined however good perk. Moreover, the show helps a 90Hz refresh fee, a pleasant improve over the 60Hz fee of the unique and an answer to one of the vital widespread complaints of the unique Deck.
Much more notable, although, is the truth that the OLED mannequin has a brand new APU. The unique Deck had a customized APU with a 7nm construct, however now there’s a 6nm construct. Theoretically, this could permit for a extra power-efficient expertise. Valve factors out that it shouldn’t lead to higher efficiency for video games, however extra battery life is all the time good.
Talking of battery life, the OLED mannequin additionally has a bodily greater battery cell. It has 50Whr of juice, roughly 20% greater than the 40WHr within the unique mannequin.
If you mix the brand new APU, the extra power-efficient OLED show, and the larger battery, you get 30 to 50% extra battery life from the Steam Deck OLED, in line with Valve. Even when you solely see the decrease finish of that promise, that’s nonetheless a giant leap.
The Steam Deck OLED additionally weighs lower than the unique and runs with cooler temps. It is because the OLED panel weighs lower than the LCD panel, and the fan inside is larger with some up to date thermals.
Lastly, the Steam Deck OLED helps Wi-Fi 6E, which is able to lead to quicker obtain speeds in case your router helps the protocol.
When are you able to get the Steam Deck OLED?
Valve will open orders for the OLED Deck on November 16 at 10:00 AM PT.
Keep in mind that the unique LCD fashions have worth drops and can proceed delivery as orders are available in. So, when you don’t care concerning the upgrades listed above, you will get a closely discounted Steam Deck proper now.
