Valve today is announcing the new Steam Deck OLED. Taking a very Nintendo approach to its gaming handheld, the company is slapping an upgraded screen into its portable PC and calling it a day.
The story with the new Steam Deck OLED really is right in the name. The new handheld doesn’t change all too much from the original but does make some adjustments where it counts. There’s now a new, high dynamic range screen at the center of the gaming experience. It’s an even larger 7.4-inch display compared to before, and games will look a bit more crisp with better color accuracy, to boot. It’s an upgrade over the original’s 7-inch panel – although the resolution remains at 1200 by 800.
You’ll also be able to dive into titles away from home for longer before it’s time to plug back in thanks to a higher-capacity battery. Now, you’ll be able to enjoy 12 hours of gameplay, which is a much-needed improvement over the 8-hour runtime from the original model.
Valve isn’t adjusting the performance of the Steam Deck OLED all too much, but there is now a 6 nm APU running the show as opposed to a 7 nm chip. Wi-Fi 6E also makes the cut, which is certainly a drastic improvement over the original model and its Wi-Fi 5 connectivity.
Storage capacity is getting a boost, with the baseline model now coming with a minimum of 512 GB of storage on the $549 model. There’s also a 1 TB model that’s available with an anti-glare finish to the screen, which will run you $649. Both configurations will begin shipping later this month, on November 16.
Otherwise, you’re looking at the same gaming handheld as before. There’s still the same form factor as the original, which is why we kicked this piece off with the Nintendo comparison. It’s the same route that the company took when refreshing its Switch into the Switch OLED, so it seems Valve is still following suit.
We previously loved the original Steam Deck in our review and are eagerly looking forward to what’s next from Valve. Speaking of that OG handheld, Valve will actually be keeping the original around to give shoppers a more affordable option, selling that 256GB LCD model for $399.
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