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!
Quoting: PenglingQuoting: slaapliedjeIsn't everything guaranteed to die?To a degree, but not like this - being organic is a major downside of Organic-LEDs.
Though they're not quite as short-lived today, the first ones to market were dying off within months to a year, and often not fully, with huge chunks or lines suddenly going missing.
Anyone remember the original PS Vita? The OLED was such a problem that the "Lite" revision replaced it with a standard LCD.
Quoting: slaapliedjeHa, after buying a 77" OLED TV, I definitely get annoyed by light bleed. Never bothered me before...I haven't had any eye-surgery, but I just can't look at those bloody things. They're completely unusable for me.
But for sure, OLED screens can be obnoxiously bright, especially for someone who has gotten lasik surgery.
My original Vitas screen still looks fine. No idea about the probabilities, though.
Personally, I think this is good for all of us, as this update should help keep our Decks relevant. These updates will keep the Deck competetive against ROG, Legion, etc. and the stable baseline and resolution should ensure every SteamDeck out in the wild will still be a viable target for developers. I understand some people buying a Deck recently feel bad about this, as they would have waited had they known, yet if Valve hadn't improved on the platform, we would all have been of a lot worse.
I'm not sure what I would do. Since I got my standalone VR headset, my Deck usage has reduced significantly. I feel tempted to gift my old Deck to my sister and get it, but I'm just not sure.
Quoting: hardpenguinAlso, I prefer to have a LCD option as long as its cheaper. I went for the cheapest option with my current Steam Deck since SD storage is all I need.I must admit, I've yet to see an LCD option that isn't cheaper. Which is good, of course.
Quoting: constPersonally, I think this is good for all of us, as this update should help keep our Decks relevant. These updates will keep the Deck competetive against ROG, Legion, etc. and the stable baseline and resolution should ensure every SteamDeck out in the wild will still be a viable target for developers.Totally agreed.
A year or two before minor revisions like this is about the norm in the handheld space, and folks often worry about it, but they're generally a sign of a system that's doing well enough for particular parts to have been superseded by similar-but-slightly-better drop-in replacements; See, for example, the Nintendo DSi, New Nintendo 3DS, etc., versus the original models - nobody ever really targets the revised models, and they just publicise the revisions for folks who feel that bigger numbers are better. It usually means that the device is here to stay for a while yet.
Quoting: constI understand some people buying a Deck recently feel bad about this, as they would have waited had they known, yet if Valve hadn't improved on the platform, we would all have been of a lot worse.I must be one of the only ones who's glad I already got one, so that I got a display I can actually look at!
Quoting: PenglingQuoting: hardpenguinAlso, I prefer to have a LCD option as long as its cheaper. I went for the cheapest option with my current Steam Deck since SD storage is all I need.I must admit, I've yet to see an LCD option that isn't cheaper. Which is good, of course.
Quoting: constPersonally, I think this is good for all of us, as this update should help keep our Decks relevant. These updates will keep the Deck competetive against ROG, Legion, etc. and the stable baseline and resolution should ensure every SteamDeck out in the wild will still be a viable target for developers.Totally agreed.
A year or two before minor revisions like this is about the norm in the handheld space, and folks often worry about it, but they're generally a sign of a system that's doing well enough for particular parts to have been superseded by similar-but-slightly-better drop-in replacements; See, for example, the Nintendo DSi, New Nintendo 3DS, etc., versus the original models - nobody ever really targets the revised models, and they just publicise the revisions for folks who feel that bigger numbers are better. It usually means that the device is here to stay for a while yet.
Quoting: constI understand some people buying a Deck recently feel bad about this, as they would have waited had they known, yet if Valve hadn't improved on the platform, we would all have been of a lot worse.I must be one of the only ones who's glad I already got one, so that I got a display I can actually look at!
Other examples are the GBA/SP and the DS lineages.
Quoting: Liam DaweOfficial Steam Deck (OLED) page already exist and it have FAQ. Majority questions and speculations have answers there.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).
Atleast OLED crowd will be bit muted... ofc now 4K, 144Hz and others will scream louder...
Quoting: mindedieAtleast OLED crowd will be bit muted... ofc now 4K, 144Hz and others will scream louder...
There will always be a group of people who aren't satisfied with a product, and want another version to fit some ideal they came up with.
Quoting: wytrabbitQuoting: mindedieAtleast OLED crowd will be bit muted... ofc now 4K, 144Hz and others will scream louder...
There will always be a group of people who aren't satisfied with a product, and want another version to fit some ideal they came up with.
Every gaming display in this (and all coming) decades should use variable refresh rate ("Gsync" and such).
You're welcome. ;)
Quoting: EikeQuoting: wytrabbitQuoting: mindedieAtleast OLED crowd will be bit muted... ofc now 4K, 144Hz and others will scream louder...
There will always be a group of people who aren't satisfied with a product, and want another version to fit some ideal they came up with.
Every gaming display in this (and all coming) decades should use variable refresh rate ("Gsync" and such).
You're welcome. ;)
Yea? There could be dozens of reasons Valve didn't include it in the announcement. Maybe the specific configuration they want isn't ready yet, maybe it still has too many bugs to work out. Maybe it actually is compatible and will be enabled by default at a later date.
It's easy to make that claim looking at it from the outside, but we're just not privy to all the internal details.
Valve is positionning the Steam Deck as a console, when docked. For my part, all that's missing is USB4 support and an egpu docking station. Who knows, it might be possible to do something with an RX7600m or similar portable chip inside? Steam Deck 2, maybe? For VR and the Deckard?
Quoting: wytrabbitQuoting: EikeQuoting: wytrabbitQuoting: mindedieAtleast OLED crowd will be bit muted... ofc now 4K, 144Hz and others will scream louder...
There will always be a group of people who aren't satisfied with a product, and want another version to fit some ideal they came up with.
Every gaming display in this (and all coming) decades should use variable refresh rate ("Gsync" and such).
You're welcome. ;)
Yea? There could be dozens of reasons Valve didn't include it in the announcement. Maybe the specific configuration they want isn't ready yet, maybe it still has too many bugs to work out. Maybe it actually is compatible and will be enabled by default at a later date.
It's easy to make that claim looking at it from the outside, but we're just not privy to all the internal details.
This was a joke regarding expectations of gamers always wanting more. Should be clear from the quoted context, IMHO. (But I seriously wouldn't buy a full blown monitor without it anymore.)
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