I enjoyed my SD LCD but found it lacking in several areas. Yes, the OLED screen gets a lot of the spotlight, but there’s much more going on with this new model and overall it feels like a massive upgrade to me:
- OLED screen: it’s beautiful, significantly better than the LCD, 90Hz and fast OLED response time is very noticeable and makes even browsing around the menus much smoother. The increased screen size is more apparent in person than you’d think too and feels more appropriate to the overall size of the device.
- The -30g weight: I really didn’t think this was going to be noticeable but wow am I wrong. You immediately notice the weight reduction upon picking it up and the whole unit feels a lot more balanced and comfortable to hold.
- The buttons: every single button feels better, crispier, and more tactile to use. D-pad feels amazing, bumpers and triggers are wonderful, even the “Steam” and “***” buttons are so much nicer with noticeable tactility now. These two buttons were one of my big gripes before as they felt mushy and inconsistent.
- Trackpads: much, much improved, haptics are strong, the usability has been improved, they’re more enjoyable to use now.
- Joysticks: no more need for an extra cover or anything, stock they feel really great.
- Materials: Maybe they didn’t change the plastics or anything at all but it certainly feels like it. Something about this SD OLED case/shell just feels more premium than the original. Call this one placebo/honeymoon effect but the device feels nicer in the hands than before.
- Fan: this is so quiet compared to the original, even the Huaying fan.
- Charging cable: that extra 1m length is so nice.
- Audio: I had no issue with the original SD speakers but this is just nicer, no doubt about it.
- WiFi 6E is such a noticeable boost in speed and performance.
The list can go on and I’m sure I’m going to get some eyerolls for this post. But the SD OLED feels like a way bigger upgrade than I expected. The whole device just feels more premium, more comfortable, snappier, smoother, etc.
My expectations were already super high with this device and somehow Valve exceeded them.
Steam deck OLED is more exciting and useful than the iPhone?
It really depends on what one finds exciting, but the iPhone was extremely exciting because all it was capable of in something that could fit in your pocket all with a very easy to use UI. I’ve been a big handheld gaming nerd since the 90s and I was excited to see what the iPhone could bring in that regard. Apple’s chip advancements were the most exciting thing about the iPhone over the years, but it was clear pretty quickly that it would never be a serious gaming machine, at least not for the foreseeable future. A very convenient pocket computer no doubt that I cannot live without now. BUT, I still felt like handheld gaming was just not moving at the pace of things like phones or PC hardware.
I think what caught my attention and got the gears turning in my mind was the first time I played a Switch. Seeing DOOM 2016 run on a handheld blew my mind and I realized what Nintendo had done was break the barrier between handheld and home console that had never been done in such a seamless way. Yes, there were handheld PCs at the time, but they ran Windows and were extremely underpowered and physically unergonomic. Just like the smartphones before the iPhone could email, browse the web, etc… it was a pain to do and not pleasant at all. The Steam Deck has made handheld PC gaming finally, pleasant, affordable, and accessible. The OLED model further refines it while slapping a display on the Deck that any iPad or MacBook would be jealous of. Come to think of it, I feel like the Steam Deck is Valve’s iPhone moment.
I agree with lots of that. I also agree the steam deck itself is a bit of an iPhone moment for valve, but to say it’s the most exciting and useful consumer electronic ever is perhaps a stretch given the high standard of other devices. Nonetheless enjoy it and I’m fully with you with your enthusiasm for it!
Most exciting for me. I know the Steam Deck will never have the mass appeal of an iPhone. But to have almost my entire Steam library, that I have been building for almost two decades, now accessible in a handheld with a gorgeous OLED panel (I’m an OLED fanatic)… I couldn’t ask for too much more but I know that Valve will continue to improve and it’s exciting to see where it will go. The iPhone feels stagnant right now, but the Steam Deck does not.