If you’ve been biding your time to pick up a Steam Deck we’ve got good news: a new OLED model has just been announced. For those who have already taken the plunge, you have our condolences.
Two new OLED Steam Deck models will be available from 16th November, with two old standard LCD models being discontinued. The existing mid-range LCD Steam Deck with 256GB of storage will become the new entry level system, priced at just £349. The new OLED Steam Deck will be available with either 512GB or 1TB of storage space, priced at £479 and £569 respectively.
The benefits of an OLED screen are numerous. It’s slightly bigger for one, with a size of 7.4″ versus the old Steam Deck’s screen size of 7″. The new OLED screen will also present more natural colours and inkier, deeper blacks, making the visuals of the games you play even more impressive. A combination of a better battery and lower power draw from the OLED screen also means battery life will be improved – you should be able to get between 3-12 hours of use out of a single charge depending on the game’s you play.
It also has better Wi-Fi capabilities, supporting Wi-Fi 6e where existing models are Wi-Fi 5. For the most part, though, the new OLED Steam Deck will be the same as the old Steam Deck. All existing accessories will be compatible, and while it features a more efficient processor, it offers the same performance. Think of it as the Steam Deck equivalent of the Switch OLED – an upgrade, but not an entirely new model.
For those in the US and Canada, a limited edition OLED Steam Deck will also be available in very limited quantities. This will have a special colourway, and is a test to see how people take to it. If it does well, Valve may release more limited edition Steam Decks in the future.
If you’re not bothered about a fancy OLED screen, now might be the best time to pick up a LCD Steam Deck as the 64GB and 512GB models are only available while stocks last. Even better, they cost just £309 and £389.
For more information about the new OLED Steam deck, check out the product page now live on the Steam Store.
