The Steam Deck OLED Review

The Steam Deck OLED releases today, providing a caller avenue for crippled players (especially those with large Steam libraries) to instrumentality their gaming acquisition connected the go. The caller OLED models (one astatine 512 GB and different astatine 1TB storage) efficaciously regenerate the archetypal merchandise arsenic the caller Steam Deck flagship hardware. The older 64 GB and 512 GB LCD models are being phased out, portion the 256 GB LCD volition stay disposable astatine a reduced price.

Steam Deck OLED is not a fundamentally caller platform. In galore ways that matter, our review of the original inactive stands, and snagging 1 of the older LCD surface models is present an adjacent much important worth astatine the little price. However, respective of the concerns that surfaced successful that reappraisal person been remedied by the caller exemplary – capable that a caller valuation is warranted.

While I had fewer complaints astir the archetypal screen, there’s nary uncertainty that the caller OLED is simply a measurement up. It’s besides somewhat larger, by astir fractional an inch, which is simply a pleasant bonus. The brightness of graphics connected the surface is peculiarly noticeable, arsenic are colour gradations. A play league with the caller indie darling, Jusant, revealed breathtaking landscapes and a affluent colour palette that look conscionable arsenic bully arsenic they would connected a large gaming monitor. Black levels were besides impressive; a travel down the road of Darkest Dungeon II was foreboding and pleasantly bleak. The elaborate landscapes of Baldur’s Gate 3 popped disconnected the screen, and quality portraits looked lifelike. The HDR capableness besides impresses successful games similar Ori and the Will of the Wisps, making tiny shifts successful shadiness extent successful dim environments look realistic and beautiful.

One of my main concerns with the archetypal exemplary was artillery life. A portable gaming strategy is each good and good, but the amusive evaporates rapidly if you tin lone get a fewer hours of play. The archetypal Steam Deck wasn’t unspeakable successful that regard, but it wasn’t a precocious point. Thankfully, the caller Steam Deck OLED makes large strides successful this department. It’s hard to quantify, fixed that antithetic usage cases effect successful vastly antithetic artillery life. But, successful general, I recovered crippled sessions lasting a bully mates of hours longer earlier a complaint became necessary, compared to my tests of the archetypal model. Valve’s claims of 30% to 50% amended artillery beingness are, astatine worst, blimpish estimates.

The signifier origin hasn’t changed substantially. Like with the archetypal model, I don’t emotion the precocious placement of the thumbsticks, but the haptic feedback connected the touchpads is rather cool. The curved grips comfortably acceptable big hands and fingers. It’s a smidge lighter; I’ll admit that I hardly noticed the difference, but fixed that 1 of my criticisms of the archetypal was its size and weight, it’s worthy a call-out. Overall, the OLED exemplary inactive feels a small bulky successful hand, but thing that should scare distant an enthusiast.

I besides noted that the caller OLED exemplary doesn’t tally arsenic blistery arsenic the original; that was ne'er a dealbreaker for me, but it’s a pleasant change. And portion not each location Wi-Fi strategy volition beryllium capable to leverage the advantage, it’s bully to spot enactment for Wi-Fi 6E; erstwhile available, that adds up to faster downloads.

In the interim since our archetypal reappraisal of the Steam Deck, Valve has besides continued to grow its room of games that are “Verified” for Steam Deck. While not technically a portion of our hardware evaluation, it’s notable present arsenic you see a imaginable purchase; players present person a immense room of verified games moving good connected Steam Deck. In applicable terms, whether you play connected the caller OLED exemplary oregon 1 of the older LCDs, a overmuch much extended room of enjoyable games makes it worthy your clip and money.

Over the months since the archetypal Steam Deck’s launch, different companies person continued to propulsion into this portable PC gaming space; we’re precise enthusiastic astir the ROG Ally, for instance. But Valve makes a potent statement for the worth of its caller Steam Deck OLED for those players who’ve inactive been waiting to snag a portable gaming PC. It looks and plays great, features amended artillery beingness than the original, and makes insignificant changes to an array of onboard systems, specified arsenic accrued bass effect successful the audio oregon faster artillery charging, that adhd up to a amended wide experience. It’s an casual proposal for those who person been waiting to instrumentality the leap.

The OLED exemplary is simply a tougher merchantability for aboriginal adopters who purchased a Steam Deck successful 2022. Undoubtedly, it’s a measurement up successful ways that matter, but it’s a sizeable disbursal for lone incremental change. If you’re looking for the definitive portable Steam crippled player, it’s undoubtedly the mode to go, but beryllium prepared for lone insignificant changes to the wide experience.