New OLED screen. New APU. And lots of small hardware improvements.
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Hahaha, they kept trying to convince people again and again that there will NOT be a hardware refresh any time soon. That was only a few months ago.
They were careful with how they phrased it, leaving the possibility of a refresh without a performance uplift still on the table (as speculated by media). It looks like the OLED model’s core performance will be only marginally better due to faster RAM, but that the APU itself is the same thing with a process node shrink (which improves efficiency a little).
See also: PCGamer article about an OLED version. They didn’t say “no”, and (just like with the previously linked article), media again speculated about a refresh happening.
It looks like they were consistent with what they were talking about with how it wasn’t simple to just drop in a new screen and leave everything else as-is, and used that opportunity to upgrade basically everything a little bit while they were tinkering with the screen upgrade.
The effiency part becomes a larger feature if it’s a mobile device…
Sure, but not much of that battery improvement is coming from migrating the APU’s process node. Moving from TSMC’s 7nm process to their 6nm process is only an incremental improvement; a “half-node” shrink rather than a full-node shrink like going from their 7nm to their 5nm.
The biggest battery improvement is (almost definitely) from having a 25% larger battery (40Whr -> 50Whr), with the APU and screen changes providing individually-smaller battery life improvements than that. Hence the APU change improving efficiency “a little”.
Well yeah, otherwise it will end up like Atari. No sales for the first one because everyone is waiting for the next one.
It’s smart. Also, developers have a solid benchmark to set their games to. Console has long had the benefit of a stable hardware set over the course of many years, which makes it easier to develop to the broadest possible market. Skipping incremental APU updates has a benefit of keeping a longer benchmark for game developers hoping to boost sales by targeting the market with handhelds. Valve was pretty clear in their communication in this regard, which is great.
That’s not what happened at all. They said they would not be releasing a higher performance version anytime soon. This is just a refresh. Like a Steam Deck 1.8
Yeah I was burned and I’m kinda salty about it.
Just a few tips for people:
I got a 512 LCD at launch prices. I have zero regrets. It is awesome when I go on travel but also great for just hanging out around the house. And while the price is considerably higher than a switch (less so if you go for the entry level pricing), you save a LOT on games since Nintendo Pricing tends to translate to third parties over there too. But you obviously know you.
Will probably “trade in” my current model some time next year for the 512 OLED. 1 TB is tempting, but I have a desktop too. So installing and uninstalling games are almost all network transfers that go really fast because I generally am also playing those games on my desktop. Or even just keeping them installed there because I have the extra storage.
As for trading in: Be INCREDIBLY wary of using ebay. Ebay has incredibly good buyer protections at the cost of almost zero seller protections. If someone receives it and then says “Didn’t arrive, go fuck yourself” they get their money back and ebay/paypal will basically tell you to take it up with local police… who won’t do shit because ACAB. So stick to local exchanges (and follow all best practices for that) or just keep an eye out for the inevitable amazon or best buy trade in programs. You’ll get less, but also will have almost zero stress.
Not really true. Just cover your ass with paper.
Had a buyer try to get away with cd-laser not working but I explicitly wrote that in the description (and not in a tiny font). So at the end I won.It was about 50€…
That has nothing to do with a buyer claiming they never received the item or even just the correct item. Very hard to prove in eBay’s system.
Depends on the region the seller/buyer is in.
Tracked parcels for a starter. If it gets stolen by the shipment conoany or porch pirates that’s a whole other story.
But did the bought item actually make it in the box?
I mean the dude can claim the package contained a brick instead of the device…
Yes, something as expensive as a Steam Deck you want to do a local in person transaction with cash. Nothing else.
What I really like is that they double down on hackabilty by switching to metal torx screws, etc.
That, and a Linux system are IMO the main selling points of the SteamDeck, compared to any clones from Asus or Lenovo, etc.
What, are their screws not metal?!
The screws were metal, but they went into a plastic casing. Now, the metal screws go into metal threading
They are mostly (all?) metal.
Torx head are preferred for smaller screws because it is a lot easier to strip the heads with a phillips. Mostly because you can use too big or too small of a phillips head with a screw which means you don’t have a good fit and are going to mangle it. Whereas a torx is very much “one size fits one size”.
But also? If you actually pay attention to the video/read the article and are not a complete monster, you will use a ph0 instead of a ph1 or whatever and that stops being an issue. But it makes people happier and maps better to the ridiculously expensive electronics screwdrivers (cough, lmg, cough) that come with a very narrow set of bits rather than assuming people shell out almost the exact same amount of money for an ifixit kit that has dozens of bits. Or, you know, people who realize their local hardware store also sells bits.
The real advantage is that it sounds like Valve are moving away from self tapping screws. Explaining those is well beyond my brain, but it boils down to the idea that they cut/grind/clomp through plastic to hold themselves in place. That is why Valve have made it very clear that disassembling and reassembling your Steam Deck will lower thermal performance and durability. The screws won’t go in as tight as they used to and, if you do it enough, they won’t hold at all. If you ever were reassembling something and the screw just kind of spun freely, that is likely the cause.
Dude awesome info. Thanks for taking the time to type this
Allen key screws are better, it’s a lot easier and cheaper to buy Allen key tools. Torx tools also don’t last that long. I especially hate them on MTB disk brake rotor mounts, they last one change of rotors and you have to buy a new Torx bit.
When you buy “wood screws” that doesn’t mean that the screws are made of wood, it means they go into wood.
Well shit. I didn’t expect to replace my steam deck so soon, but the extra half an inch plus better battery life could convince me. I use it daily for Final Fantasy XI.
Please announce a trade in program, Valve. Don’t make me use eBay cause I’m not sure it’s worth the hassle at that point.
Try to sell locally
Like put a sign in my front yard or what
Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, gumtree, OfferUp, or whatever the local buy/sell website is
I’m guessing sell to friends or sell through Facebook Marketplace?
I’ve sold a lot of stuff locally on hardwareswap on reddit
For real. I bought recently and I love it but would’ve absolutely waited had they not promised there wouldn’t be a refresh around the corner. Kinda fumed, Valve thought you were my choom.
Stop it Valve, I can only become so erect
Soooo I was looking into buying a steam deck… Guess that’s great news
It is. It’s a significant upgrade for no price increase.
And if you don’t want to get the best model, the old LCD models have crazy discounts right now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfoLRmKwnSI
The 90 Hz display is apparently still not VRR
So went from “I NEED THIS” to “I really shouldn’t buy it but probably will upgrade during the first sale”
Better battery life, faster wifi and brighter display is definitely enough for me! Though I will have to be able to sell my original one first
Oh, I am almost definitely buying this some time next year. The battery life is nice for occasional use, but generally I am not doing marathon sessions anymore.
But the big thing that is getting me excited is the improved thermals. When I play something that is poorly optimized or otherwise start pushing it, I very much am reminded that I am using a “gaming laptop” and all the heat rashes that entails.
Also: If the translucent black+orange were at the 512 GB range, I would probably still make a poor decision next week. More storage is always nice, but I have had zero issues with my current 512 GB drive. Spent the past year or so in that “When my sticks fail or something otherwise goes bad, I’ll crack it open. Swap out to hall effects and get the biggest nvme I can fit in there” state
I am telling myself I’ll wait for a discount. But what I totally expect to happen is I realize the cutting board I am planning to treat myself to next year comes out a lot cheaper than I am budgeting for and…
Not to help you make “bad” decisions, but this is an amazing cutting board that punches far past its cost. Its been America’s test kitchen #1 recommended for years, and I can confirm it’s excellent.
Thanks. But by “cutting board” I am more or less saying “go full sicko on my counter space to the point that this might count as a small scope remodel”.
Ahh, that will be doom to your pocketbook, but enjoy.
You’re not driving the display at 90fps, so a 90 fps container for 30-45 fps content is actually not bad at all, and it should feel pretty smooth even with minor fps drops.
People think VRR is magic sometimes, but it doesn’t work well with all types of content. For handheld you’re often going to be driving at low fps a high refresh rate can be more relevant sometimes. VRR on top of everything else would be nice, but it’s definitely not a must.
Oh. I don’t want to really go down that rabbit hole, but I think the 90 hz refresh rate is completely unnecessary considering the use case of the steam deck. Likely just a function of the oled.
And I do think setting a target refresh rate is probably better in the long run. It encourages people to optimize their performance settings and provides a target.
But also? Fluctuations and “running at the limits of your system” are where VRR IS magic. You never have to worry about artifacts that occur from being on the wrong multiple (especially with the math for why 40 Hz is better than 30 AND 45 for a 60 Hz display…). And that is largely where the Deck lives.
I don’t think VRR is essential for the Steam Deck. But I do think it is a “no brainer” that I assume is only not there because of how the (kind of ridiculously) low resolution OLEDs were sourced.
And tinfoil hat mode: It also isn’t something that really benefits from reviews. DF might touch on it, but the vast majority of outlets will intentionally set up benchmarks for a stable frame rate and… the Steam Deck is going to continue to be the baseline for all those comparisons. So showing off how good it looks when it is bouncing between 20 and 50 FPS just isn’t going to be something that shows up in a GN video.
I don’t know what VRR windows you get on handheld displays these days, but at 30fps it shouldn’t be super useful compared to vsynced 90Hz. 90 is 11ms intervals for your next frame, and if you’re pushing the hardware at ~30fps you may have bigger swings between frames in VRR (e.g. you could have 8ms between two frames and 28ms between the next two), which still reads as stutter, with or without VRR.
So it’s not as much of a no-brainer as you may think. That’s basically the same reason Lenovo insiders gave for why the 1600p 144Hz panel in the Lenovo Legion GO is also not VRR. In that case it makes a bit more sense because that’s just 7ms between refreshes, so you may genuinely struggle telling the difference between that and VRR if you’re rendering less than 60fps.
I think Digital Foundry does a lot of good advocacy and educational content, but sometimes they get hung up on pet peeves and give people the wrong impression about which buzzwords are important on which contexts.
Of course Lenovo are going to have marketing for why them saving money is actually better for the consumer. That is just how marketing works. If Valve were at all competent at it, they would be doing the same.
VRR doesn’t stop stutter. But it helps a lot when you have those gradual fluctuations. Think “If I look up, my FPS drops by 20%”. At which point you no loner have to worry at all about multiples to avoid screen tearing or all of that annoying stuff. All of which is REALLY nice when you are at the limits of your system. Whether that is pushing 100-144 FPS or 20-40 FPS. It won’t make it look like it is running perfectly, but it very much helps a lot and there is a reason that VRR is one of those “most noticeable hardware improvements” you can get.
And can we please skip out on the “Oh, people just don’t notice improved graphics and refresh rates anyway” nonsense? I realize the Steam Deck is a handheld, but this isn’t a Nintendo Switch thread.
FWIW, LTT seems to have asked about VRR and they hypothesize, based on the answer, that they’re sourcing from the same place as Nintendo and that is limiting the VRR option: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCVXqoVi6RE
But my point stands in that you’re thinking about the target spec of the display, not the games. There IS a difference between 20-40 and 100-144 fps. First, because it’s a lot harder to keep a steady rate at 7ms frame budgets and second because the sense of stability doesn’t have the same demands.
And yes, it’s a perceptual thing. Some people will be more sensitive than others, but I would feel comfortable showing a 28-30 fps clip to people on a 144Hz vsync and a VRR display and asking them to spot which is which. Simply put the gaps in miliseconds between those two things are going to be too similar to tell apart. I know because I’ve tried. I have 100, 120, 144 and 165 fps displays, both VRR and vsynced. I’ve messed around with this for a long time for fun and profit.
I have no question that VRR would be a slight improvement, but I’m also not surprised that at these levels of speed and size both Lenovo and Valve decided that it wasn’t worth to chase VRR compared to the high refresh alternative. That gels with my own experience.
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That’s interesting and good to hear! I was torn between waiting for this refresh or next but I think the longer I wait the more I miss out on.
If you don’t own a PC handheld and want one this is not a bad time to jump in at all, especially if you’re on a budget.
I don’t expect you’ll see a refresh on this thing again for a couple of years at least. Given how accessible the prices for the Deck are I don’t know if waiting that long makes sense. I mean, there will likely be a Switch 2 at some point in that interval, so if you only want the one handheld that may be something to wait-and-see for, but handheld PCs are PCs, there’s always gonna be a big new thing to look forward to.
That is literally FOMO.
You are “missing out” on nothing and technology gets better every couple months at this rate. I don’t want to put myself at the mercy of ASUS for support, but their handheld is REALLY nice. Similarly, Aya and GPD have been doing this for the better part of a decade and are largely what the Steam Deck was based on. And GPD in particular have some very interesting form factors
Most of the devices out there are geared toward Windows (which plays with Gamepass). In large part because MS have put a lot of effort into touchpad/touchscreen support whereas Linux is… gonna Linux. But there are increasing third party efforts to make linux distros and Valve seem to want to push for SteamOS as a distro (and I think Aya have said they want to use it?).
At the end of the day: if the price is right and you think you’ll use it, get it. If not? Fuck it. Buy something else.
The benefit of the 90hz is that it raises the bar for refresh rate/2 gameplay for latency/performamce requirement.
40hz alone is half of the input latency difference between 30 and 60 fps, and is much more realistic to hit performance numbers for. Some people run it at 40hz for optimized battery/performamce/latency ratio. Setting it to 45 now makes it every frame is evenly doubled. That along with the die shrink/10W/Hr/chemistry changes will allow the battery to last a lot longer on the go, at least on paper
That would make more sense if you couldn’t set the old LCD panel to 45 already. There’s still an advantage to doubling each frame, especially in reducing latency on frame drops, but I don’t think there are any refresh targets under 60 the old panel couldn’t match after they introduced the manual refresh control feature.
The battery life seems much, much better, though. There are already some preview benchmarks that say at minimum TDP you can get to double digit hours on this thing. That’s nuts for a x64 handheld device.
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I’m toying with getting a Steam Deck instead of building a gaming PC. I can’t afford both. The Steam Deck looks an even better now option now.
A steam deck is definitely not a gaming computer replacement, get a good pc first imo
Depends a lot on the type of games you want to play. AAA or competitive FPS probably gaming PC. Older games, casual, indie, etc. SteamDeck is great.
I have to say that the SteamDeck brought a lot of fun back to gaming for me. Everything’s in one package, it’s portable, I can play docked or lay in bed. I can suspend it and come back whenever.
I’ve mainly played the Witcher 3, Skyrim, Fallout 4, Noita, GC roms, Disco Elysium, Dishonored, and Stardew Valley. Some of those games I’ve owned for a long time and I never played them until I got the SD.
But it does make a great streaming device/glorified controller too when I want to run more demanding stuff on my PC.
I am currently playing a heavily modded version of Mass Effect Legendary Edition on my SteamDeck, works really well, even Mass Effect 3.
But I had to install a no-EA-link patch, because EA requires to be online to start the singleplayer game. Which hurts playing it on the go. But with that, great experience.
You’re being down voted, but it’s the truth. Depends a lot on the particular computer though. The biggest consideration is personal value of mobile gaming.
Aside from that, it is damn hard to beat a steam deck in performance at the same price, but if you can stretch to even a bit most gaming desktops will handely out perform one
Depending on your definition of “gaming”, it definitely can be for some folks
I love my deck, but yeah, if OP can get a full desktop, I’d recommend that first. More scalable over time.
My biggest problem after owning a deck for a year is the controls. If you like to play PC games designed around a mouse and keyboard the deck is just a chore. I struggle to play games on my deck when the controls make playing the game take far longer than on a PC where I can quickly hover my mouse over things or click and drag. Yes it has trackpads but it’s definitely not the same experience.
That said if it’s a console first game then it usually works pretty well.
It kinda is tho. You can even connect a monitor, mouse and keyboard to it if you want to.
I’m using my steam deck right now as a gaming PC while moving across America.
It works really well. I got a dock from Amazon that gives me the ports to plug in my gaming mouse and keyboard. I can do HDMI out to the hotel TV or, better yet, lead out one USB-c cord to a fantastic portable monitor.
I only ran into two minor issues. The first is getting enough juice to the steam deck and heat. Both can be easily solved with a good fast charging station and better air flow (I use this tiny hyper fan and have had zero issues in 90 degree Florida winter weather).
Of note, I dual boot with Windows 11. It’s a bloated mess of an operating system, but I want to use certain mods and programs that windows only. Plus, I’m not tied down to only steam games. The addition of being able to run nearly everything that’s Windows compatible takes the deck up a level, I feel.
The best way to get the most out of the Windows environment is to run a debloater admin tool, which removes unnecessary programs on Windows 10+ systems. The difference between the performance is shocking, making it pretty much required for usage. It’s not too hard to use, too.
The best part of it all is that you still have a stream deck at the end of the day. You don’t have to do any hardware mods. You can pick the deck up and walk out of the house and still have the gaming PC with you.
I can only recommend the cheapest Steam Deck, and only if you’re willing to either open it to upgrade the internal storage or rely only on micro SD cards. The Steam Deck gets decent performance on most games but decent is defined as 25-45 fps for 3D games and 60 fps for most sidescrollers.
I mainly use my Steam Deck to stream games from my PC at home to my cubicle at work, I am still astonished that my upload speed on coax is substantial enough for very low latency streaming. I prefer it over my laptop because the Steam Deck takes up less space on my desk docked or with a case that has a kickstand like dbrand’s Killswitch. Still boggles my mind that this OLED version doesn’t have a kickstand either.
Depends entirely on what you play. For most people, a standard gaming PC is going to be your best bet, especially if you play FPS titles, but for a select group of people a Steam Deck makes a ton of sense.
If you play mainly older titles, are on the go frequently, and enjoy a console experience, you can even hook your Deck up to a TV with a docking station, or to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. It’s super convenient, and is like a gaming laptop/console hybrid, almost like a switch with an entire capable Linux install for productivity.
For someone in need of something like that, I think a Deck might make more sense!
I’m sold. Specially with how much they talk about modding and repair-ability.
Wonder if it would be possible to retrofit the new parts into an existing SteamDeck
I read in a couple spots earlier that the new battery is physically too big and the OLED panel won’t transfer either.
Ah that’s unfortunate if true. Ah well I’m happy with my Steam Deck as is. I’m also sure that some YouTubers will find a way anyway 😂
Even the stick daughterboards are redesigned and the heat sink has different anchor points. None of the internals of these are cross-compatible.
The shell is identical, though, so it seems that sleeves, skins, screen protectors, cases and so on all carry over.
Finally I can buy one
I’ve been holding off on getting a steam deck since I wanted to get their second version rather than being a beta tester for the first
If stability and reliability are paramount to you, you might consider getting the older version. At this point the hardware has been well tested and I feel like you might be beta testing less on a gen 1 vs a gen 2. That being said my personal experience is that I’ve never felt like a beta tester for valve and I’m sure you’ll be happy with either. Cheers!
It’s more like a gen 1.5, valve stated that hardware hasn’t progressed far enough for a true gen 2 steam deck
I bought one 3 months ago after going back and forth for ages. It’s really good but I wish I had either bought it immediately or waited a few more months. Don’t hesitate, go for it.
Damn, very much tempted to sell mine and buy this OLED version; the LCD screen is pretty much the only feature I dislike.
What would be a fair price to sell a used 256gb version with no damage?
I just bought a refurb 256 for ~$350 out the door ($319 sticker) so I imagine you could get a bite in the high, mid-200’s although you’d probably also be cross-shopped against the 64 GB refurb (that’s mostly out of stock though)
On the used market you’ll be up against 64gb models upgraded with 1TB SSDs, which are a lot better value compared to the 256 or 512 versions from Valve. So look what those cost and subtract around $100, as that’s what the SSD costs.
I waited just under a year for my preorder.
Yes, I will buy the OLED one, and pass the original to my son.
Looks this is a refresh for those who were on the edge of buying one or those who really love OLED.
Personally, I would’ve instantly sold mine and upgraded if these also had VRR. Hopefully the proper next generation of these devices comes with it.
The rumor is that the Deck and the Switch use the same supplier for screens. Both the Switch and the Deck’s screens cannot support VRR. The Deck’s OLED also has thinner bezels than the LCD.
