Best way to play AAA titles BY FAR !!! (if you care about the costs):

• buy PS5 disc edition
• when new AAA game releases:
  • buy physical copy
    • physical copies - even on day 1 of release - are cheaper then the digital version. because of the price war in retail stores.
  • play through game in 2-6 weeks
  • sell game on ebay
    • you will get back 50-70% of what you paid for it
• Result:
  • 70€ game only costs 55-65 € in retail
    • = 10€ saved
  • you recoup 50-70% through selling the game
    • = 30-40€ saved
  • This way the “70€ AAA game” only cost you ~20€
    • thats a 70% reduction in cost

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This is BY FAR the best way to enjoy AAA titles if you care about the spent money.

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And it can only be done on PS5

• because on PC there are no longer physical versions - its all “keys” which dont transfer
• on SeriesX it kinda works - but not as good. Because the market is much smaller because most xbox people just use gamepass and dont buy AAA titles.

If you have to run a pixel test to find the stuck / broken pixel … why do you even care?

I am currently interested in buying myself a steam deck. I mostly play AAA games

Then I would say: no

Playing AAA games like this:

• 7" screen
• 30fps
• low settings
• Steam Deck fans on full tilt

Is just not great. Sure its better then nothing if you are on the go. But if you are at home - its 10x better to play the games on a big TV with proper sound system and much improved FPS / graphical fidelity.

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Also BEWARE !!!

• There are already AAA games on the deck that dont run / run like dog-poop.
• And it will get worse with more modern game releases

I always have to laugh about linux people when they mention Windows Updates is what makes them not use Windows on Deck.

Reality is:

• Windows updates are downloaded in background. About once a month. And they only bother you when you shut down your device (it will then show “update and shutdown” besides the normal “shutdown”)
• On the steam deck you literally can update 5 times a day
  • Shader updates
  • Decky Load updates
  • Desktop mode app updates
• Its absolutely ludicrous how many updates the deck has all the fricking time. You NEVER feel “up to date”. You constantly get shader updates, app updates, etc.
• Its like a constant stream of updates that trickle to your device 24/7

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And dont get me wrong. Getting updates is nice. And it rarely bothers me (especially when I want to play a game and it tells me it needs to update first).

But the linux shills claiming “Windows has annoying updates” seem to have never used Windows. And especially on the deck.

• With Windows on deck you dont get any shader update stuff. None. Never.
• With Windows 3rd party launchers can run in the background. Which means that they will also update the games in the background (just like steam does on SteamOS).
  • This means if you start a game with a 3rd party launcher you DO NOT have to wait for an update of the game. It was already downloaded in the background.
• When steam (and therefore the SteamOS UI) gets updated - the device does not need to restart. With SteamOS it always does a full restart.

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The whole update situation on deck is at the moment clearly better on the windows side.

MUCH fewer updates. More seemless updates.

I hope Valve can improve on that … its not a great experience to start your deck and immediately have 6 updates. Every fricking time you start the deck …

OLED is nice. A bit more battery is nice (though I dont play AAA on deck so my battery never dies on my).

But REAL upgrades would be somthing like this:

• 50% or more power / fps
• Additional USBC at bottom + proper dock
  • The current solution of docks with the small cable thingie is SO JANKY.
  • If you own a switch you know how smooth and easy it is to switch between portable/TV
• Two USBC connections would also allow charging + using an external device.
  • Example: Nreal Glasses / external USBC 1080p 120hz screen / external SSD / etc.
• 120hz 1080p screen
  • I have been playing on PC at 120/144 hz displays for 8 years now. Going back to 60fps is pretty darn lame.
  • Yeah it would suck more power/energy - but for many indie games that would barely make a dent
• Considerably thinner / lighter.
  • The ROG Ally is much more compact. The deck is barely okayish. Its big, heavy and a chunky boy.

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The OLED deck is not a bad bump up. But its just too little for too much money. You can currently get barely used LCD 1TB Steam Decks on eBay for under 300 bucks. Why should I spend almost 600 for a 512GB OLED? Makes no sense.

Yes the OLED screen is better.

Is it always worth it? No. Its a BIG price difference. But it also gives you 3-5% more performance and 30% better battery.

You need to decide yourself.

The OLED deck …

• … has about the same FPS. It doesnt make games run better.
• … has the same low 720p resolution.
• … has the same haptics
• … has the same size and almost same weight
• … is compatible with the exact same games. It doesnt make 3rd party launchers magically work or fixes anti-cheat games not working.
• … is simply not worth 200-300€ to upgrade
  • You sell your LCD deck at a loss
  • And then have to buy the expensive deck version (OLED)
  • You are looking at 200-300€ at least for the upgrade

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Just wait for ACTUAL UPGRADES:

• Much smaller form factor - the deck is a CHUNKY boy
  • Other handhelds are smaller AND much faster
• Much faster APU with 50-100% more fps
• USB-C at the bottom + proper docking station like the switch
  • All deck docks are AWFUL. Having to fumble around with a cable… just because Valve didnt put a USBC at the bottom like all the other consoles … dumb !

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THOSE would be worth 300€

Google: FOMO

Keep calm. Your Steam Deck is just as fine as it was yesterday. If you want to spend 200-300$ on upgrading … do it. But its just a screen dude. Almost identical FPS. Just wait for Steam Deck 2.

I will stick to the LCD version:

• the upgrade will cost a couple hundred because steam deck already is super cheap on ebay so re-sale value is bad.
• the OLED is also just 720p, the APU is about the same and I dont need the faster wifi.
  • tiny upgrades only :-(
• its simply not worth it to pay 200-300€ just for an OLED upgrade
  • it would be worth it with a 30% fps bump or a BETTER way to connect it to a TV (like the switch - slide in slide out - not shitty cable)

Yes. OLED switches pixels muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch faster then LCD does.

This means you get smearing on LCD that “smoothes out” some of the 30fps stutter.

The OLED will show you how the game ACTUALLY runs and is rendered. Its more true to what is supposed to be on screen. But with 30fps - its more stuttery - yes.

The etched screen also means you cant put on a screen protector.

Just as with the LCD version - it is visually and practically the WORST choice. And always has been.

Google: FOMO

If you let tech releases make you feel bad just because you have the “last years best model” instead of the “this years best model” - you are doing something wrong.

Dont let corporations into your mind like that.

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What you feel just means their marketing works. They hit your “wanna have” mind with “look at this shiny thing”.

SIMPLE:

They cant sell the OLED at the price of the LCD one. But didnt want to increase the price.

Also: Most people will now NOT buy the cheapest deck. Most people will go with an OLED version. Which means more money.