Priced at $549, the Steam Deck OLED handheld PC arrives on 16th November, and boasts a superior screen and improved battery life.
Valve has announced the Steam Deck OLED, a follow-up to 2022’s Steam Deck handheld PC. The new version of the Steam Deck comes with a crisp OLED screen, an improved battery and Wi-Fi 6E, but otherwise the technical specifications remain the same as the original.
The Steam Deck OLED will launch on 16 November, priced at £479 ($549) for the base version with 512GB SSD. The 1TB SSD version, meanwhile, comes in at £569 ($649).
The Steam Deck OLED retains the same black exterior of the original, but there will also be a limited edition version of the PC handheld with a ‘smoky translucent’ shell. However, this limited edition of the 1TB Steam Deck OLED will only be available in the United States and Canada, and comes in slightly more expensive at $679.
Valve says that the bigger battery of the Steam Deck OLED gives the machine 30-50 percent more battery life than the previous model. The firm estimates it will provide 3-12 hours of gameplay, depending on the content, compared with two to eight hours for the original Steam Deck.
The Steam Deck OLED also comes in 30g lighter and offers better acoustics. But the screen is the real star of the show, offering HDR and a 90Hz refresh rate. Richard Leadbetter at Digital Foundry called it “perhaps the most extensive mid-generation ‘console refresh’ I’ve seen” in his review.
Valve has discounted the old LCD Steam Deck in the wake of the Steam Deck OLED announcement. The 256GB version of the LCD Steam Deck has been permanently reduced to £349, while the 64GB and 512GB versions of the LCD Steam Deck are being phased out, and will be removed from sale once the current stock is depeted. The 64GB version has been reduced to £309, while the 512GB LCD Steam Deck is now £389.
Read more: Opinion | Steam Deck provides painless PC gaming on the go
