The Steam Deck OLED looks as good as it can get, at least until the real sequel
Enlarge (credit: Valve)
Valve has said that a true sequel to the Steam Deck handheld, one with a boost in power, is "a few years" away. But that apparently doesn't rule out smaller, console-style mid-cycle refreshes. Valve today announced a new OLED version of the Steam Deck that boasts a new screen and a wealth of other small but notable improvements.
The new OLED Steam Decks will be available at 10 am PT (1 pm ET) on November 16. A 512GB version at $549 replaces its LCD predecessor with the same storage, and a $679 1TB "Limited Edition" version, with anti-glare etched glass and a distinct smoky red colorway, is available, though "Quantities are highly limited" of the latter. A $399, 256GB LCD Steam Deck will stick around, while the 64GB and 512GB versions of the LCD model are discounted while supplies last.
There's a heck of a lot that's improved in the OLED Steam Deck, minus one core thing: the power of its chip. Sharp eyes will catch on the spec sheet that the LCD Deck has a 7 nm AMD APU package, with the CPU running 2.4-3.5 GHz, and the GPU 1.0-1.6 GHz. The OLED Deck sports a 6 nm APU, but removes the GPU range, instead implying a consistent 1.6 GHz output. Memory bandwidth has also been boosted from 5,500 to 6,400 MT/s, a 15 percent jump. It's more sustained peak performance, and a bit more bandwidth for frame-rate boosting, but with compatibility maintained.