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?
Is the weight difference that noticeable? Originally sold my steam deck and switched to Ally because of weight. Now the gap is smaller (~23g) I might be tempted to switch back…
I mean, I have physical neck issues that make me sensitive to weight, so I’m not the right person to judge for you.
But to me it is noticeable.
I have carpal tunnel issues and gripping heavy objects for extended periods of causes numbness, which is the whole reason I switched. I just impulse ordered the limited edition since I found out it’s basically the same weight as the Ally. Crossing fingers it feels great.
https://www.amazon.com/Ergonomic-Posture-Cushion-not-machine-specific/dp/B09HN19687
If you want my two cents, my general feeling is that the weight feels more well distributed and that’s a part of the reason why people are reporting a relatively small absolute weight difference as noticeable.