Here is my new 1tb ETCHED oled deck (see above) compared to original. Etched is superior. It doesn’t ruin the oled at all. You get the perks of oled and the perks of anti glare. There is a reason valve put etched on the top model. Argument is over forever. Drops mic

I can officially put this argument to bed. Like I’ve been saying for weeks, the “etched glass ruins oled” argument has been so overblown. Etched is superior and that’s why valve has it on the top device. You get the perks or oled and the perks of anti glare. See attached photo for my new 1tb oled ETCHED compared to my original steamdeck. Drops mic *

Non-etched for sure. I was very excited to get the limited edition 1 TB version, but after a bunch of research, I’ve decided to go with the 512 GB version. Here’s why:

• 100% pure blacks. Pure, non-diffused colors. If you understand and care about HDR and the screen is the primary reason you are getting the OLED Steam deck, then you must understand that you will not be getting the full spectrum of colors with the etched screen. For the LCD case this wasn’t as big of a deal because the color range is still limited, but you can still tell a big difference between colors and blacks on etched vs non-etched as demonstrated in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_9bMdWC50U&ab_channel=TechStein
• Adding a glossy screen protector on the etched screen will never provide the full OLED experience. You can always add a matte finish protector on a glossy screen from your favorite brand and reduce glare.
• The OLED display is much brighter than the LCD one, so that will do relatively better with reflections.
• The etched screen does not eliminate reflections. It just diffuses them. In some cases this is worse than just having non-diffused reflections (video above demonstrates this as well).

Some of the downsides of choosing the 512 GB model:

• No limited edition option
• No removable liner carrying case

Personally I’m a little disappointed that I can’t get the removable liner case, but I’m willing to make that compromise in favor of a big boost in image quality.

As a fun experiment, visit a local electronics retailer like Best Buy or Costco and check out the LG OLED TVs and compare the image quality with other HDR panels. There’s a reason they have a glossy finish. The colors just pop and once you experience that, it’s hard to go back. For the case of the etched OLED Deck, it is literally sealing away all that goodness behind that coating.

Glossy to get actual deep blacks. Oled + matte is an incredibly strange and undesirable combination.

I’m getting the etched. I have the etched LCD SD and I really like that matte and flat look of the screen. I find the glossy screens distracting and unimmersive, unless used in complete darkness every time.

Getting the glossy version for the superior OLED color reproduction and deep blacks.

Going for the etched

Glossy, 600-1000 brightness will be enough to overcome reflections.

I would never replace the storage myself on a device. That’s why i want the larger storage out of the box. I use my etched steamdeck original daily. It absolutely is not blurry lol. The screen looks great, and its just LCD. It will be even better with oled. How much this is being blown out of proportion is crazy. You get a lot of benefits with etched - more storage, anti glare, freedom to play anywhere, more durable screen, most premium model. with the one tradeoff of BARELY noticable color downgrade. You would think from all these comments that the etched glass makes games unplayable. I played my deck yesterday. First in the living room with all the lights on. My son was playing his oled switch. My screen was perfect, his was filled with glare. then i played later in the dark, and my screen looked excellent. Once you get the device, you are never going to notice or care about a tiny downgrade in screen brightness or blacks. But you will notice the glare, the ability to play anywhere anytime, and the fact that the etched is so durable the screen will not scratch. If someone wants to buy the cheaper model because of the savings, then that makes sense. But trying to twist this argument into saying that glossy version is a better device is simply untrue. When i’m traveling or going anywhere, i dont have to give it a second thought about my lighting environments. It’s a portable device, thats why Valve chose to put etched on their top model. Anyone with the glossy has to plan and think about how to make it work when they play in different light environments. In the end, the obsession over making the screen look 5% better, is going to be such a moot point compared to all the benefits of etched.

Glossy is 100% superior on an OLED screen, so I’ll be going for the 512GB. I wish the limited edition had a glossy option.