November 10, 2023, 4:38 pm | Read time: 3 minutes

In February 2022, Valve launched its own model on the market with the handheld console Steam Deck. A major advantage of the handheld console is its connection to the gaming platform Steam, which is very popular among PC gamers. With the console, you can access the same library and don’t have to buy games twice for different media. After months of rumors, the Steam Deck OLED, an improved version of the console, has now been announced. TECHBOOK provides an overview.

What the Steam Deck OLED Offers

According to Valve, it is explicitly not a successor, so not a Steam Deck 2/Pro. Following the example of the Nintendo Switch, they opted for a Steam Deck OLED.

The most obvious change is already in the name: OLED. Instead of the previously used LCD panels, the new Steam Deck gets an OLED screen. This mainly improves the image in terms of color accuracy and black levels. With a constant resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels, the display also increases from 7 to 7.4 inches (about one centimeter), and the refresh rate is now 90 Hertz instead of the previous 60 Hertz. Brightness ranges from 600 to 1000 nits, depending on whether the SDR or HDR mode is used.

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Additionally, the RAM processes slightly faster, even though the capacity remains at 16 GB. Valve has also tweaked the battery capacity for the OLED model compared to the previous Steam Deck. It now offers 50 watt-hours, which according to the manufacturer allows for a gameplay time of 3 to 12 hours. Nevertheless, the new model is slightly lighter at 639 grams. Bluetooth 5.3 and Wifi 6E are also included.

Our assessment of the Steam Deck is available in the video:

Price and Availability of the Steam Deck OLED

In fact, the new version of the console is set to be available for pre-order starting November 16 at 7 p.m. However, it is not yet known when it will actually be released and delivered.

Two models have also been announced, differing in their storage size: 512 GB and 1 TB. The smaller Steam Deck OLED costs 570 euros, while the larger version is available for 680 euros.

For this, Valve will no longer offer the LCD model with 64 GB of storage. Apparently, demand was not high enough; a clearance sale is currently underway. However, the Steam Deck LCD with 256 GB is still available.