Valve just dropped a surprise for gamers. The company released an upgraded model to the popular portable gaming PC, now featuring a new OLED screen.
While the overall design of the Steam Deck has not changed much since the original version came out in 2021, the biggest improvements are what Valve changed on the inside of the machine.
Chiefly, the new Steam Deck now comes with an OLED screen. The original Steam Deck uses a 7-inch 800p LCD display running at 60Hz. The new model saw a big upgrade. It is now bigger, at 7.4-inches. Instead of an LCD, it is an OLED panel. Lastly, the display is now running at 90Hz, so fast refresh rate gaming is a reality with the Steam Deck. It is also brighter at 1000 nits peak brightness, and supports HDR, covering 110% of the P3 colour space.
The other big improvement with the new Steam Deck is optimization. The custom APU from AMD is now smaller – produced on a 6nm process versus the older 7 nm process. The die-shrink results in better efficiency for both the GPU and CPU.
Valve also installed a bigger battery into the Steam Deck. It now has a 50Wh battery instead of the original 40Wh. According to Valve, gamers can expect between 30-50% increase in battery longevity with the new battery. Officially, Valve is quoted to say that the new official battery life is now “between 3 to 12 hours.”
Other improvements include WiFi 6E for faster file transfers, Bluetooth 5.3, a redesigned thumbstick and haptics vis the touchpads, and the device itself is slightly lighter and cooler while in use.
Valve also reworked the pricing and storage option for the new Steam Deck. There are still three options to choose from, but the pricing has been reworked as per the list below:
- Steam Deck (LCD) 256GB – USD 399 (about RM 1,883)
- Steam Deck (OLED) 512GB – USD 549 (about RM 2,592)
- Steam Deck (OLED) 1TB – USD 649 (about RM 3,064)
Valve is also dropping the prices of the older model, which will be on sale until the stock runs out:
- Steam Deck (LCD) 64GB –
USD 399USD 349 (about RM 1,650) - Steam Deck (LCD) 512GB –
USD 649USD 499 (about RM 2,356)
There is also a limited edition of the 1TB model, which comes with a translucent shell and customized carrying case – which has a sticker price of USD 679 (about RM 3,205).
Sadly, the Steam Deck is still not officially available in Malaysia as of today. Your other options would be the Asus ROG Ally or the upcoming Lenovo Legion GO if you want a portable gaming PC.
