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’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!

To be clear, you’re still to perceive the vast majority of OLED benefits with that etched (semi-matte) layer atop the panel. It’s not as though the color vibrancy and absolute contrast are entirely lost once you go etched. The only downside will be that, during travels where you have strong overhead lighting, it’ll wash out some aspects of OLED. With that said, once you’re indoors and, ideally, in not-so-absolutely-bright ambient lighting, OLED will really come to life.

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.

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.

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.