I don’t begrudge Valve for releasing the OLED model, after being ambiguous about hardware iterations. It is a good upgrade, and mid-generation hardware updates are somewhat the norm for consoles - so, as a ‘PC console’, it’s not exactly outrageous.
But where I do find fault … Is how they’ve slashed the price of their existing LCD stock at the same damn time. So now any enthusiastic, pre-existing Steam Deckers who want to sell their LCD model, to upgrade to OLED, have to compete with the slashed LCD price when they’re listing their Steam Deck on the various classifieds and used marketplaces. To me, that’s the real low blow move. Especially low blow since it is foreseeable, and especially low blow since they went ahead with it anyway since driving the used prices down means more Steam Decks out in the wild which means more Steam revenue for Valve.
At a bare minimum, I think they should have some reward scheme in place that if you - as a pre-existing Steam Deck owner - go on to buy a new OLED model within a certain time frame, that you would receive a €75 Steam credit or something. Something along those lines.
As it stands, I’m going to get a drubbing on the re-sale value … And not because of the OLED, but because of Valve undercutting me on the LCD price.
YMMV.
Gosh, they have to sell their old product stock too. Plus people on a tight budget can get an LCD version now. Stop crying.