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!
Also, for developers the nice thing about the deck was having a "specific target". E.g, they make it work on that one device, and they're done in terms of Linux support. Changing it so soon may be an issue. Or, "Steam Deck" in-game settings will be optimised for one or the other, not both due to the higher specs. This could mean a game runs well on the new deck, but crap on the old one with the preset.
Or better yet, is it finally time to stick Gentoo on this thing?
In any case, it all helps Linux gaming in the long run, which is the important thing[1]!
[1] I admit my deck mostly sits in its case while I'm gaming on my desktop these days.
Quoting: Purple Library GuyThe screen had a large border: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?
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HwNrva8kmRp6DvT5pzYbBY.jpg
My guess is they just used some of that space.
(First image off duck, perhaps not best quality)
Last edited by BlackBloodRum on 9 November 2023 at 7:19 pm UTC
Quoting: BlackBloodRumThe question becomes, will they continue to support the now old, obsolete Steam Decks?The 256GB model is staying as LCD so yes, and the software behind them is largely the same remember (minus the extras for the new OLED ofc).
Quoting: Liam DaweThat is true, but that's technology, it moves on!Quoting: BlackBloodRumThe question becomes, will they continue to support the now old, obsolete Steam Decks?The 256GB model is staying as LCD so yes, and the software behind them is largely the same remember (minus the extras for the new OLED ofc).
Even though I don't need a new Steam Deck, I do kinda want one... If they release a Steam Controller 2 to go with it I would be sold, that would be the perfect docked experience.
I want one, sadly i'm broke as hell so i'll wait.
Quoting: slaapliedjeI apologize to everyone, this is my fault for finally deciding to upgrade mine to 1tb, wifi 6e and the Hall effect joysticks... clearly Valve was waiting for me to do that...XD
Last edited by hardpenguin on 9 November 2023 at 7:57 pm UTC
See more from me