Steam Deck OLED Review: My Favorite New Gaming Handheld of 2023
Valve has boosted the display and a whole lot more, making the Steam Deck portable PC gaming console even better.
I've loved handheld gaming for as long as I can remember, but things have rarely been as good for gaming-on-the-go as in 2023. Though my favorite handheld overall is still the Nintendo Switch, the OLED Steam Deck from Valve has won me over with its features and performance, and its expansive game library. Of all the gaming handheld devices that arrived this year, the Steam Deck OLED is my favorite by far.
Handheld gaming consoles have been back on the rise lately, not just with the Nintendo Switch, indie handhelds and the PlayStation Portal, but in PC gaming too, with Windows options like the Asus Rog Ally and the Lenovo Legion Go. The new OLED Steam Deck is a refreshed version of the year-plus-old Steam Deck, with a larger OLED display that looks great. It starts at $549 (£479, AU$865), while the original LCD-based models remain on sale, starting at $349.
Although the OLED model isn't much different in terms of graphics performance than the first Steam Deck, the continued improvements across the board -- in new hardware and continued OS upgrades -- have added up to a lot. Sure, it's a handheld that feels like a mini-surfboard. But it's so much fun to use. Valve also made the price more attractive, lowering the LCD Steam Deck prices and making the OLED model essentially the same price as the midrange LCD Steam Decks before.
Improvements everywhere.
Comparing the new OLED Steam Deck to the original, I saw some clear advantages. The new Steam Deck has a 7.4-inch HDR OLED display that, while still sporting the same 1,200x800-pixel resolution, looks far more vivid and colorful. Playing games on the OLED Steam Deck gives me the same feeling I have playing on the Nintendo Switch OLED: I don’t want to go back to the original and its LCD screen. The larger display on a similarly sized chassis also means a sleeker, thinner frame bezel.
The new OLED Steam Deck also has a larger battery, which boasts up to 50% more battery life. I haven’t yet experienced what that actually adds up to in everyday use, but the news is welcome. Even more surprisingly, the handheld is a bit lighter. Storage configurations have been boosted too: There’s now a 1TB Steam Deck option, in addition to a 512GB model. The 512GB version is $549, while the 1TB version is $649 -- which is pretty fantastic, since these were basically the prices of the Steam Deck higher-config models previously. $649 now nets you twice the storage, an OLED display, a better battery
Valve is selling previous LCD models at a discount going forward, with most of the savings on higher-end configurations. The 64GB version drops to $349 ($50 off), the 256GB model is now $399 ($130 off) and the 512GB model is $449 ($200 off).
There's also a fancy limited-edition transparent 1TB OLED model, too, for $679, which looks nice, but it's the same hardware as the $649 1TB OLED model.
Steam Deck OLED Review: My Favorite New Gaming Handheld of 2023Improvements everywhereSteam Deck OLED vs. the Windows handheld competitionFalling in love with Steam DeckBattery life: Pretty fineThe future of handhelds
I’ve loved handheld gaming for as long as I can remember, but things have rarely been as good for gaming-on-the-go as in 2023. Though my favorite handheld overall is still the Nintendo Switch, the OLED Steam Deck from Valve has won me over with its features and performance, and its expansive game library. Of all the gaming handheld devices that arrived this year, the Steam Deck OLED is my favorite by far.
Handheld gaming consoles have been back on the rise lately, not just with the Nintendo Switch, indie handhelds and the PlayStation Portal, but in PC gaming too, with Windows options like the Asus Rog Ally and the Lenovo Legion Go. The new OLED Steam Deck is a refreshed version of the year-plus-old Steam Deck, with a larger OLED display that looks great. It starts at $549 (£479, AU$865), while the original LCD-based models remain on sale, starting at $349.
Although the OLED model isn't much different in terms of graphics performance than the first Steam Deck, the continued improvements across the board -- in new hardware and continued OS upgrades -- have added up to a lot. Sure, it's a handheld that feels like a mini-surfboard. But it's so much fun to use. Valve also made the price more attractive, lowering the LCD Steam Deck prices and making the OLED model essentially the same price as the midrange LCD Steam Decks before.
The new OLED-screened Steam Deck isn't just about the larger display -- but it's an awfully nice display.
Scott Stein/CNET
Improvements everywhere
Comparing the new OLED Steam Deck to the original, I saw some clear advantages. The new Steam Deck has a 7.4-inch HDR OLED display that, while still sporting the same 1,200x800-pixel resolution, looks far more vivid and colorful. Playing games on the OLED Steam Deck gives me the same feeling I have playing on the Nintendo Switch OLED: I don't want to go back to the original and its LCD screen. The larger display on a similarly sized chassis also means a sleeker, thinner frame bezel.
The Steam Deck OLED comes in a new hard case that has a removable inner softer case. It's like two cases now.
Scott Stein/CNET
The new OLED Steam Deck also has a larger battery, which boasts up to 50% more battery life. I haven't yet experienced what that actually adds up to in everyday use, but the news is welcome. Even more surprisingly, the handheld is a bit lighter. Storage configurations have been boosted too: There's now a 1TB Steam Deck option, in addition to a 512GB model. The 512GB version is $549, while the 1TB version is $649 -- which is pretty fantastic, since these were basically the prices of the Steam Deck higher-config models previously. $649 now nets you twice the storage, an OLED display, a better battery and a lot of other improvements.
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Valve is selling previous LCD models at a discount going forward, with most of the savings on higher-end configurations. The 64GB version drops to $349 ($50 off), the 256GB model is now $399 ($130 off) and the 512GB model is $449 ($200 off).
There's also a fancy limited-edition transparent 1TB OLED model, too, for $679, which looks nice, but it's the same hardware as the $649 1TB OLED model.
The new power adapter has a longer cord (nice).
Scott Stein/CNET
Valve added a lot of other tune-ups to the Steam Deck in the new model: a surprising number, in fact. The laundry list is extensive:
A 7.4-inch, HDR OLED display (1,200x800-pixel resolution); maximum 1,000-nit brightness in HDR; 90Hz max refresh.
Faster-response touchscreen.
Better haptics on the Steam Deck and touchpads.
Analog sticks have improved grip.
50Whr battery (up from 40WHr).
About an ounce lighter.
Wi-Fi 6E.
More power-efficient AMD APU processor
