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?
Touch pads/touch screen improvements makes the device feel much more modern.
Cooling/fan noise is way improved. It is quiet and does not get hot like the LCD model. I leave the updated fan curve setting off to keep things as cool as possible.
Wifi is greatly improved, went from 30-40 Mbps download in steam to 100 Mbps on the OLED. No other wifi changes in my environment.
Faster charging/battery life. Literally no battery anxiety. Went from 2-3 hours to 4-5 hours running my primary game at 30 fps.
Analog sticks primarily but all the buttons just feel nicer and higher quality.