As more and more handheld devices come onto the market, one stood above the rest with Valve’s Steam Deck. Despite confirmation that a new Steam Deck is in development and is still years away, that didn’t stop Valve from iterating on the original, that’s where Steam Deck OLED comes in. It’s the same powerful handheld PC gaming console experience as the original Steam Deck LCD, but it comes equipped with an HDR OLED screen, a longer-lasting battery, faster WiFi, and a slew of tweaks and improvements across the board.
The Steam Deck OLED has 30-50% more battery life. A bigger battery was placed into the case and the OLED screen draws less battery. This, combined with the updated, more efficient AMD APU, players will have more time playing their favorite games. The OLED screen has also contributed to the Steam Deck OLED being lighter and cooler. The OLED screen weighs 30g which is 5% lighter than the original LCD model. It’s cooler than to a bigger fan and updated thermals.
Steam Deck OLED comes with WiFi 6E, offering increased bandwidth and lower latency. This means up to 3 times faster download speeds and stable online play. Plus, the touchscreen’s responsiveness and fidelity are vastly improved. Haptics are higher fidelity and more consistent. There is also an added Bluetooth antenna, improving connection for multiple controllers.
Steam Deck OLED will be available in two storage options: 512 GB for $549.00 and 1 TB for $679.00. With this announcement, Valve has also announced a price drop for the original 256 GB LCD model down to $399.00.
Valve has also announced a Limited Edition Steam Deck OLED that features all the specs and perks of the 1 TB model, with a smoky translucent colorway.
Steam Deck OLED is set to launch next week on November 16.