For anyone that owns an OLED TV (always glossy) and an OLED monitor (often matte/anti-reflective), this choice in configurations from Valve was a very, very strange one. With OLED being the primary, visual upgrade for the new Steam Deck OLED, you want to retain as much true black and color vibrancy as possible, and in no uncertain terms, any anti-reflective/matte coating will cause an appreciable hit to both.
That’s so frustrating honestly. This was my issue with the LCD Deck also - I was happy to pay for the top-end model, but I wish they would have made the etched glass coating optional. Now though, I don’t know anyone who’s ever said the anti-glare aspect was a noticeable benefit, so with the OLED Deck Valve should have just dropped it completely and maybe lowered the price of the 1TB model by $10 or whatever.
You being torn on this situation is exactly why it’s so frustrating that Valve released the glossy panel only for only the 512GB model. Yes, it’s nice to have reflections watered down for those who play outdoors in sun or under harsh indoor lighting, but since the central showpiece is OLED, losing a glossy panel is a major, major loss to the visual experience. We all need to assess just how much we care about a “limited-edition smoky translucent” shell and a dual-chamber storage case, because at the end of the day, the OLED panel will be your visual gateway to consuming any content on that new Steam Deck.
I really love the etched display on the LCD version and it works fantastically on my office Apple Studio Display, where I have a ton of natural light.
But I can’t imagine why you would want it on an OLED display, it turns all the incredible inky blacks into a soft gray.
Which is a shame, because I would have loved to get the new colorway on a non-etched display, but guess I’m going down from the high tier to the mid tier with the refresh.
I’m replying to you now on my Alienware AW3423DW (OLED Ultrawide Monitor) with a semi-matte, anti-reflective coating and I can tell you, without a shadow of a doubt, that unless the room is pitch black, the contrast ratio and color vibrancy don’t come close to my LG OLED TV downstairs.
The Steam Deck OLED will be no different. Unless someone comes out with conclusive video showcasing otherwise, the 512 GB glossy is the smart play to maximize the visual experience in most conditions.
I say all of the above with no horse in this race, other than to look out for new buyers, many of whom might not have experienced larger-form-factor OLED outside of their phones. And even then, on said phones, they’ll be used to glossy panels!
For anyone that owns an OLED TV (always glossy) and an OLED monitor (often matte/anti-reflective), this choice in configurations from Valve was a very, very strange one. With OLED being the primary, visual upgrade for the new Steam Deck OLED, you want to retain as much true black and color vibrancy as possible, and in no uncertain terms, any anti-reflective/matte coating will cause an appreciable hit to both.
As shown here by Dave2D, the 1TB configurations will suffer, visually, as a result of the etched display.
If you live with OLED on a day-to-day basis, you know that sacrificing color saturation and the absolute contrast ratio is a price not worth paying.
I hear using a screen protector improves it.
512gb with 1tb ssd upgrade is the way to go.
Ya, but glare sucks ass. Being near a window or ever outside its unusable.
At 600 nits going up to 1000 in HDR? Pressing X on that.
Yep. There is the reason why I won’t get the big one. I am going to put a 2TB Micron M.2 in it anyway.
That’s so frustrating honestly. This was my issue with the LCD Deck also - I was happy to pay for the top-end model, but I wish they would have made the etched glass coating optional. Now though, I don’t know anyone who’s ever said the anti-glare aspect was a noticeable benefit, so with the OLED Deck Valve should have just dropped it completely and maybe lowered the price of the 1TB model by $10 or whatever.
You being torn on this situation is exactly why it’s so frustrating that Valve released the glossy panel only for only the 512GB model. Yes, it’s nice to have reflections watered down for those who play outdoors in sun or under harsh indoor lighting, but since the central showpiece is OLED, losing a glossy panel is a major, major loss to the visual experience. We all need to assess just how much we care about a “limited-edition smoky translucent” shell and a dual-chamber storage case, because at the end of the day, the OLED panel will be your visual gateway to consuming any content on that new Steam Deck.
I really love the etched display on the LCD version and it works fantastically on my office Apple Studio Display, where I have a ton of natural light.
But I can’t imagine why you would want it on an OLED display, it turns all the incredible inky blacks into a soft gray.
Which is a shame, because I would have loved to get the new colorway on a non-etched display, but guess I’m going down from the high tier to the mid tier with the refresh.
I’m replying to you now on my Alienware AW3423DW (OLED Ultrawide Monitor) with a semi-matte, anti-reflective coating and I can tell you, without a shadow of a doubt, that unless the room is pitch black, the contrast ratio and color vibrancy don’t come close to my LG OLED TV downstairs.
The Steam Deck OLED will be no different. Unless someone comes out with conclusive video showcasing otherwise, the 512 GB glossy is the smart play to maximize the visual experience in most conditions.
I say all of the above with no horse in this race, other than to look out for new buyers, many of whom might not have experienced larger-form-factor OLED outside of their phones. And even then, on said phones, they’ll be used to glossy panels!