Valve’s Steam Deck has arguably become a fan favorite for handheld gaming, and for good reason. Today it has one renewal of the middle generation with an OLED panel. The announcement came out of nowhere, and in typical Valve fashion, they’ve addressed many of the long-standing shortcomings of the original Steam Deck. So without further ado, let’s take a look at all the new features packed into the new Steam Deck OLED. Be ready to appreciate Valve for these great upgrades!
Valve officially announces Steam Deck OLED after initial leaks
News of a Steam Deck OLED first leaked via Gamespot’s RSS feed, which was keeping a close eye on ResetEra users noticed. Minutes later, Valve officially announced the portable console via their official YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) accounts. The video showed multiple Steam Decks stacked on top of each other in a circle, with the brand new OLED screen.
As for the details, the mid-generation refresh brings some impressive changes. The most substantial is the 90 Hz OLED screen. It still has a 1280 x 800 resolution, but now has HDR capabilities. Battery life has also been improved. The new model is now equipped with a slightly larger 50Wh battery more than the 40 Wh battery of the original. This will provide better battery life.
Furthermore, Valve claims that the longer battery life is also due to the low power consumption of the new OLED display and a new OLED screen 6nm AMD APU.
It doesn’t stop there. The new model also includes a better haptic system, a better Wi-Fi module that supports up to Wi-Fi6E, and Bluetooth 5.3. Overall, this is a worthy mid-range refresh that makes sense for everyone. Valve has promised software support and no disparity in peripherals between the systems. So if you’re an original Steam Deck owner (like me), you have nothing to worry about unless you get the FOMO of missing out on the Steam Deck OLED upgrades.
The new Steam Deck prices and the Limited Edition model
Moreover, with the announcement of the new Steam Deck OLED, Valve has also changed its offering. Originally, Steam Deck shipped in three SKUs: 64 GB eMMc, 256 GB NVME, and 512 GB NVME with an anti-glare display. This time, Valve is retiring the 64GB model and replacing it with a 256GB model with the original LCD screen.
The 512GB variant now comes with the OLED display and hardware changes, and the top tier is a 1TB model with everything available in the 512GB model. In addition, the 1 TB model consists of a liner with a hard housing. As for the Steam Deck OLED prices, it is as follows:
- 256GB LCD model: $399.00
- 512GB OLED model: $549.00
- 1TB OLED model: $649.00
Beyond the above, Valve is also launching a limited edition 1TB Steam Deck OLED model exclusively for the US and Canada. It comes with a transparent shell, a new carrying case with exclusive artwork, and bragging rights to a cooling system, priced at $670. Additionally, because they are “experimental units,” Valve only sells them in the US and Canada.
The order page for the new Steam Deck OLED is now live, where customers can order one unit. Sales continue as normal November 16 for US, Canada, UK and EU. Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea. Japan will also receive the Steam Deck OLED via Komodo, Valve’s official partner for these regions.
So, are you excited about the new Steam Deck OLED? Are you planning to purchase one? If you own the original, what are your plans for the new models? Let us know in the comments below.
