Valve Updates the Steam Deck with OLED Display, Overhauled Internals

[TheLostSwede]

Valve has announced an updated version of the Steam Deck and the headline feature is the new 7.4-inch OLED display. That's a mere 0.4-inches bigger than the original Steam Deck LCD display and it retains the same 1280 x 800 resolution. However, everything else related to the display has been improved and the refresh rate is now 90 Hz rather than 60 Hz. The display is also a lot brighter, with an SDR rating of 600 nits and an HDR rating of 1000 nits. Valve also claims a 110 percent P3 colour gamut, a one million to one contrast ratio and a sub 0.1 ms response time. On top of that, Valve has added what the company calls "high performance touch" which is said to improve the responsiveness of the display.

It's not just the display that has been improved, as Valve has moved to a 6 nm AMD Zen 2 based SoC which seems to allow the GPU to run at 1.6 GHz at all times, as Valve no longer lists a frequency range for the GPU. The power envelope remains the same though, with a range of 4-15 Watts. Paired with the new SoC is faster LPDDR5 memory at 6400 MT/s, up from 5500 MT/s, which should provide a small boost in gaming performance. An improved cooling solution is also part of the package, which is also likely a reason for the more constant GPU clocks. Gone are the entry level storage SKUs and the OLED version of the Steam Deck only comes with 512 GB or 1 TB of internal storage. The WiFi and Bluetooth module has also been overhauled and now supports WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. The battery has also been boosted from a 40 Whr pack to a 50 Whr pack and Valve now claims three to 12 hours of battery life during gaming, as well as faster charging times. Finally the weight has dropped by 29 grams, which might not be much, but still impressive considering the larger battery pack. The downside you ask? That would be the price, as Valve is asking for US$549/€569 for the 512 GB version, with the 1 TB coming at US$649/€679 when it becomes available on the 16th of November.

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[Cheeseball]

Yeah.... this is going to be my third Steam Deck.

 

[Vayra86]

Could've known after they put it on sale. Should've waited. Assholes.

 

[Deesider]

An extra $100 for 512GB of storage - why are they like this?!

 

[TheLostSwede]

An extra $100 for 512GB of storage - why are they like this?!

You can thank Apple for that.

Also note that there's a long list of other, minor improvements from new material choices to torx screws that screw into metal threads in the housing and overall better serviceability.

 

[Cheeseball]

From Dave2D's quick review:

 

[bonehead123]

An extra $100 for 512GB of storage - why are they like this?!

Hello Valve, in the real world, most people usually prefer to get wined & dined BEFORE gettin screwed

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

An extra $100 for 512GB of storage - why are they like this?!

The same reason that GaaS exists and so many things we used to be able to buy are being forced upon us as more expensive subscriptions:

Because it works.

 

[Denver]

Hello Valve, in the real world, most people usually prefer to get wined & dined BEFORE gettin screwed

At least you can expand the storage later.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

From Dave2D's quick review:

View attachment 320894

Battery life improvements are nice to see. That being said, I wish we'd get a more substantial update. A newer APU based on the zen 4c cores with LPDDR5X ram would be very nice.

 

[Cheeseball]

You can thank Apple for that.

Also note that there's a long list of other, minor improvements from new material choices to torx screws that screw into metal threads in the housing and overall better serviceability.

Looking at the 512GB and 1TB models, there are some subtle differences:

• 1280 x 800 HDR OLED display with premium anti-glare etched glass
• Carrying case with removable liner
• Steam profile bundle
• Exclusive startup movie
• Exclusive virtual keyboard theme
• 1 TB SSD

Is the extra $100 worth the above? Probably not, but the difference between a 512GB and 1TB 2230 M.2 NVMe is around $100 (based off of the Micron 2400's pricing), so I would put the blame more on the parts manufacturer.

EDIT: Grammar

 

[TheLostSwede]

Looking at the 512GB and 1TB models, there are some subtle differences:

• 1280 x 800 HDR OLED display with premium anti-glare etched glass
• Carrying case with removable liner
• Steam profile bundle
• Exclusive startup movie
• Exclusive virtual keyboard theme
• 1 TB SSD

Is the extra $100 worth the above? Probably not, but the difference between a 512GB and 1TB 2230 M.2 NVMe is around $100 (based of the Micron 2400's pricing), so I would put the blame more on the parts manufacturer.

Retail pricing isn't the same as what Valve would be paying though, since they buy the drives directly from the manufacturer.

 

[Cheeseball]

Retail pricing isn't the same as what Valve would be paying though, since they buy the drives directly from the manufacturer.

Yeah that's true, but remember they are selling these Decks as retail. They're definitely not passing the same exact savings they get down to the consumer, but at least it's not over a $100 difference between the two variants.

To note, the ROG Ally models with both the Z1 and Z1 Extreme was even more scummy ($100 difference), but this was expected since its ASUS.

The Legion Go launch was actually OK, with just a $50 difference between the 512 GB and 1TB models, but no other additions or bonuses with the more expensive one.

 

[PapaTaipei]

Looks amazing.

 

[Vya Domus]

I am sorry but 1280x800 on an OLED is laughable, I mean objectively, OLED screens have an unusual sub pixel structure that make the perceived resolution lower than what it "technically" is, when you get down to 720P territory you're really pushing it.

Would a 1080p display have been that much more expensive ?

 

[kapone32]

Retail pricing isn't the same as what Valve would be paying though, since they buy the drives directly from the manufacturer.

I am sure that they can sell these for less than $250 US and make lot's of profit. Everything uses much smaller quantities. I just want to be able to buy a handheld with the body and MB and make my own but that is a dream for now.

 

[SCP-001]

Do they mention if they changed the sticks to hall effect ones?

 

[Chrispy_]

I'm happy with my £315 Steam deck. Even if I had no Steam deck and was buying one for the first time, I think I'd rather have the cheapest option.

I appreciate that some people will spend a huge amount of time with these things but for me it is just a travel toy and occasionally sat in bed playing something simple like Brotato or STFU. The battery life of the base model has always been good, the IPS screen is perfectly serviceable - and I shoved a 512GB SSD in there for under £20.

A 7" display really doesn't work well for AAA console games designed to be experienced on a TV. Yes, the Deck can run most of them but you'll get mediocre performance, fan noise, and battery life anxiety. For 16-bit to 64-bit emulation, the thousands of 5-star indie games on Steam, and a CPU powerful enough to run those sorts of things for half a day on battery, I'm not sure it really needs a spec upgrade. The ROG Ally, if anything, has proved that spending much more money for higher performance really doesn't do much to improve the experience - with at least as many additional disadvantages as there are benefits to having a slightly better display and more performance on tap.

 

[RayneYoruka]

Wow, I can't wait for a newer version with an updated SoC. That's what making me wait for a newer version.

 

[trsttte]

I am sorry but 1280x800 on an OLED is laughable, I mean objectively, OLED screens have an unusual sub pixel structure that make the perceived resolution lower than what it "technically" is, when you get down to 720P territory you're really pushing it.

Would a 1080p display have been that much more expensive ?

Depends on the type of OLED, there are RGB OLED too. Either way, at the size and distance you're using the screen it doesn't make a difference.

The problem of 1080p is the processing power required to drive the pixels and then there goes the battery life

 

[Shihab]

A newer APU based on the zen 4c cores with LPDDR5X ram would be very nice.

Dunno, I think sticking to the same platform maintains its console-esque feel. It isn't a whole new platform, after all. Just the same ol' Deck with a facelift and a liposuction.
Good approach for the ecosystem's overall health, imo.

I am sorry but 1280x800 on an OLED is laughable, I mean objectively, OLED screens have an unusual sub pixel structure that make the perceived resolution lower than what it "technically" is, when you get down to 720P territory you're really pushing it.

Would a 1080p display have been that much more expensive ?

Wouldn't make much sense with the hardware.

 

[Vya Domus]

Wouldn't make much sense with the hardware.

It doesn't matter, you can still run games at 1280x800 or whatever, the scaling would look fine you need stuff like FSR anyway. It would still look better overall.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Do they mention if they changed the sticks to hall effect ones?

You don't think I would've mentioned that if it was something that was listed?

 

[theouto]

HDR on linux though, that's what I find fascinating about the OLED Steamdeck

 

[Klemc]

Next is ALLY OLED 8", 1080p 120hz ?!