I was convinced for me it would be the 90hz refresh rate, or the improved touchscreen/haptics - but the moment I picked up the new OLED I knew my answer straight away:
The 30g they removed from the weight.
I’m sure that sounded minimal and inconsequential for a lot of us when we heard about it, but when you pick it up, you feel it immediately.
The original steam deck was always a bit too heavy for me to hold comfortably. Especially as I struggle with a disability which makes me pretty weak in general.
Now the device is so much more comfortable to hold. I can actually pick it up and hold it with one hand now, whereas before it would always overbalance and I could never keep it straight.
What’s the best upgrade from your experience so far, if any of you are lucky enough to have an OLED now?
I’m surprised to not see anyone mention the change in PCB layout and design. Granted I think it’s a bit of a geeky thing to find interesting, but it is laid out better for overall cooling. This is my first deck though but I am already looking at how to copper mod a non intrusive cooling design for the power delivery and the charging IC. Not that I think it needs it but it will theoretically transfer heat more efficiently than the current air intake/turbulent cooling. The overall design of the new PCB has a much better orientation for creating something like that.