Steam Deck OLED

The Steam Deck OLED is a lighter, brighter version of Valve's handheld, with a larger battery and roomier storage options. But its performance is about the same, meaning it's likely only worth it for those who have waited to get a handheld gaming PC.

The Steam Deck OLED brings a fantastic, vibrant screen to Valve's handheld gaming PC, but its most impressive upgrade is the much-improved battery life. Combined with all its other small but altogether significant improvements, not to mention more storage at the same price, and it's enough to tempt even current Steam Deck owners into upgrading.

The Steam Deck is the granddaddy of handheld PCs and Valve has the resources to continue innovating in this space. For now, the OLED model is a half-step toward the Steam Deck 2, which may be the final version of the device — unless Valve finally learns how to count to three.

As a current Deck owner, I'm on the fence about whether it's a recommendation-worthy upgrade to other owners. After all, if you have your Deck set up the way you like it, and the screen doesn't irk you, and you're fine with the battery life, why upturn the apple cart? The core experience, for better or worse, is incredibly similar between the Steam Deck OLED and the original flavor. But if you're new to gaming handhelds and want to try one, the Steam Deck is my number one pick for its unbeatable mix of software support and efficiency.

But while the original Deck was shoved out the door months before it was ready, I feel far more confident recommending this one, and I’d argue Valve has more than earned the benefit of the doubt. It’s shipped over 300 updates to the original Steam Deck over the past 21 months, transforming it from a glorious mess into a genre-defining handheld. Between those updates and the hardware customer support I’ve seen, I now trust Valve more than any other gadget maker.

The Steam Deck OLED refines an already fantastic handheld gaming PC. While it may not push the performance higher, the OLED screen, improved battery, and larger storage make it the most valuable device available.