After the announcements of 2023, Steam Deck looked downright pale compared to its competitors. So Valve decided to add a little brightness to their portable. Yes, the new console screen is still smaller than that of the same Lenovo Legion Go (7.4″ versus 8.8″), but it is a 90 Hz OLED with a peak brightness of 1000 nits in HDR and 600 nits in SDR! The display contrast is 1,000,000:1 and the color space coverage is 110% P3. The main thing is not to burn your eyes out at night.
In general, in addition to the new display, the Steam Deck has been upgraded so much that it could easily pass for a full-fledged second generation. Judge for yourself: new 6nm Zen 2 processor, faster 16 GB 6400 MT/s RAM, new 50 Wh battery, improved cooling, reduced touch display latency, added Bluetooth 5.3, improved speakers. The controls have also been completely redesigned to reduce latency and improve tactile feedback.
If you read the first materials about the new version of the console, everyone is vying with each other to praise the device, but you need to understand that this is a loyal pool of journalists who received the device even before the release. However, expectations from the device are still high, and I already want to get it for testing.
Steam Deck OLED is priced at $550 for the 512 GB version, and for 1 TB of memory you will have to pay another $100. The new console does not have versions with 64 and 256 GB of storage. But a “limited edition” appeared in a case made of dark transparent plastic with orange accents – it looks luxurious. The start of sales is scheduled for November 16.
The “old” Steam Deck with an IPS display will not be removed from sale yet. Moreover, the price for it has been reduced, and now the youngest 64 GB version costs $350, which is already quite a reasonable offer.
