Valve’s Steam Deck OLED Is Finally Here

Valve, the gaming giant behind popular titles such as Left 4 Dead, Half-Life and Counter-Strike, is finally releasing its much-awaited Steam Deck OLED console — a faithful follow-up to the original console released early last year.

A Screen That Shines

The new Steam Deck OLED showcases notable upgrades from its predecessor, boasting a 7.4-inch screen and less bezel and a lighter weight, sitting at just 640 grams. It also comes with a longer-lasting battery and improved download speed.

However, what makes the console stand out is its new-and-improved display. As its name suggests, the Steam Deck OLED uses OLED technology, providing a more vibrant and brighter picture.

It can reach 600 nits in standard mode and 1,000 nits with HDR games, significantly more compared to the old LCD's peak of 400 nits. OLED pixels can fully turn off, creating deep black colors.  It also has a faster 90-Hz refresh rate for smoother visuals in less demanding games and menus.

Steam Deck OLED Was Inspired by the Nintendo Switch

Valve Product Designer Greg Coomer shared that the company’s latest console was inspired by Nintendo’s own OLED device.

"[The Switch OLED] definitely showed people that the fidelity of an OLED screen is just generally higher. It's just a great product from Nintendo that makes a ton of customers around the world super happy,” he explained.

True enough, the high sales of Nintendo’s OLED Switch during the first six months of the company’s first fiscal year is a testament to its success and status, garnering over $4.69 million in sales.

Valve’s Steam Deck OLED drops on November 16.