Valve has today announced the brand new Steam Deck OLED model with some great sounding upgrades inside so here's the details.
This is the same basics as the original Steam Deck models but comes with an HDR OLED screen, a longer lasting 50Whr battery, faster WiFi, and a slew of tweaks and improvements across the board. Valve say the HDR OLED was "designed from the ground up for gaming", gives you "30-50% longer battery life", has WiFi 6E and gives improved thermals with a bigger fan while being 5% lighter than the original models. Oh, the OLED screen is also bigger at 7.4" (from 7.0") and goes up to 90Hz!
It will also come with a brand new carrying case for the 1TB models that has a removable liner, better touch-screen, easier repairs with Torx type screws that go into metal threads, so no messing up the structural integrity and Valve say the internal components are "now easier to access, and Steam Deck OLED replacement parts will be coming to iFixit soon". Even the APU was upgraded to 6nm for better efficiency, and the memory was updated to 6400 MT/s, improving latency and power management.
Not just that, you're also getting lower-priced models with the original LCD screen.
- Steam Deck 256GB LCD: Now $399 / £349 (effective immediately)
- Steam Deck 512GB OLED: $549 / £479
- Steam Deck 1TB OLED: $649 / £569
- Steam Deck 1TB OLED Limited Edition (translucent colorway): $679 (US/Canada only)
Steam Deck OLED will be available November 16th at 10 AM Pacific / 6PM UTC in USA, Canada, United Kingdom, and European Union, as well as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong via KOMODO.
However, the 64GB and 512GB LCD models are now being phased-out so they have a permanent discount until they are gone so while supplies last (prices effective immediately):
- Steam Deck 64GB LCD: Now $349 / £309
- Steam Deck 512GB LCD: Now $449 / £389
Direct Link
In their tech specs, it even mentions it has "support for wake from Bluetooth controllers", which I'm sure will be exciting to anyone who plans to regularly dock it.
The Docking Station is now priced at $79 / £69.
See more on the Steam Deck Store and the refreshed Steam Deck Website.
I do have a review unit on the way, which is supposed to arrive today. So stay tuned for my thoughts and comparisons on it. Exciting times to be a Linux gaming fan!
Can we expect the ram speed boost to give a couple of additional fps?
If the answer to both is no, even if by sending to Valve in case they don’t provide the parts to other vendors, I’m rather unhappy with this. Too early for a revision.
Edit: I just saw the HDR screen doesn’t fit in the old one.
Last edited by Arehandoro on 9 November 2023 at 6:35 pm UTC
Quoting: ArehandoroCan the original Steam be upgraded with this new OLED?My suspicion on this is no, just because the OLED is slightly larger, so presumably something about the chassis had to be adjusted for the bigger screen to fit.
I wonder how that works, actually. Is the whole thing just 0.4" bigger overall, or was there space around the edge of the existing screen that could be moved into so the device is the same size just with a bigger hole for the screen, or somewhere in between? Did they need to shift the controls any?
Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 9 November 2023 at 6:38 pm UTC
I'll stick with current one though. The little upgrades compared with my usage really doesn't justify getting a new one.
I have enjoyed the deck but kinda hard to afford a new one right now.
Really wish they offered an upgrade deal for us day one buyers who waited it out and supported the their first release.
Got the 512 with the etched screen I didnt want but I dunno, maybe it'll be considered rare now?
Yeah it does feel too soon for a revision when the warranty has just ended not long ago for day one buyers.
One more year to wait heh.
Least the price is around the same but now I wonder if there will be yet another upgrade next year.
Which would be great if they had an upgrade trade in plan.
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