If it’s any consolation, I have the original Steam Deck and haven’t had any issues whatsoever with input latency, even while streaming from my PC or PS5.

The Oled also apparently has a lower input latency than the original version, so I wouldn’t imagine you’ll face any issues with it.

For the most part it’s pretty similar. For reference on my PC I use a Thunderobot G50 controller (I do have a dualsense, but since so few games use haptics I don’t find the difference big enough to bother with re-pairing each time I go from console to PC).

Triggers, as mentioned by other comments are fine, but not as great as you’d get from a dedicated controller.

Aside from that the only real control issue I’ve had is L3+R3 don’t feel great to press. To be fair, this is purely an ergonomics thing. The actual stick quality on the SD is completely fine, but playing games like Dark Souls where I constantly use R3 for lock on/off or to reset the camera it definitely doesn’t feel as natural as a controller.

That being said, the SD can use controllers too, and none of my issues with it have been enough for me to bother connecting a controller to it.

Afaik, refurbished steam decks availability is location based, but they go as cheap as $320 so not a massive step up from the portal in terms of price.

You can also stream PS5 to Steam deck fairly easily with Chiaki. Setup takes maybe 5 minutes and after that it’s literally just press a button and go.

If pricing is a big issue I would say Ps5 + portal, but frankly the extra cost to get a Deck + PS5 gives a ton of additional value so it would be the best overall result.

If you don’t have a PS5 or gaming PC currently, then the deck (standalone) isn’t great for AAA gaming. Most recent AAA games either won’t run or won’t go above 30FPS even with lowered settings. In general I see the steam deck as an accessory to go with my PS5/PC. It runs older/indie titles great, but anything AAA I generally stream from my console/PC.

Sleep function is also mixed on SD so keep that in mind. For most games it seems to work well, but some will have issues with sleep mode. It’s definitely not as stable as the PS5s rest mode.