Steam Deck OLED Testing: Screen, Controls, and more

[@Xairos84]

You answer the best questions from the perspective of the customer. You aren't just another promotional channel you are actually a normal person using the products... Earned my sub

[@ughitstravis9243]

Yeah for emulation, product reviews and general insight he’s pound for pound one of the best out there

[@vorbo01]

​@@ughitstravis9243which is funny cause he's pretty skinny

[@meric12131415]

​@@ughitstravis9243absolutely 😁

[@vorbo01]

@@ghostedsuicide getting sent a review copy is not the same as a sponsorship. A sponsorship they pay you money to talk about their product, them sending you a review unit is just that, a review unit

[@DeBanked]

He gets salty when hes not given stuff, watch some of podcasts, that said he puts out decent content

[@The8bitbeard]

I gave my wife my first Steam Deck and bought myself another one after she started playing with it more than I was. In anticipation of the OLED, I've already restored mine and given it to my teenage son. Once my OLED arrives we'll be an all Steam Deck household. Portable gaming nirvana.

[@molsen7549]

I don't have kids yet, but I'll definitely be doing this someday!

[@kuhpunkt]

@@molsen7549 Just ask Valve support. Maybe they'll send you a kid with your next order!

[@HUYI1]

i wouldn't even know what to do with my current steam deck to get this, i've already decided to get a windows based handheld this time, not Linux anyways

[@fire2day]

Comment from the future, the Steam Family Beta is fantastic, and actually allows you to share your library like you would expect. Might be worth checking out, if you haven't yet.

[@The8bitbeard]

@fire2day I have! Our libraries are united and our available games have expanded. It's fantastic! OLED is better than I hoped too. It's truly a refined device.

[@abdullahabid218]

This is what the deck should have been. The .4" larger screens seems small on paper, but it's like 13% larger area. The smaller bezels makes it look so much more appealing.

[@bigfellas4887]

.4 inches is really long 😢

[@Nathan-Higgers_13]

@@bigfellas4887you should know huh

[@Centrocal]

I would love to see a comparison between the regular glass screen OLED and the Anti-glare screen OLED

[@markdigi]

Same, for OLED it sounds like the 512gb might be the better version? Most reviewers have all got the 1TB and can't really compare yet. The extra $100 for the case and storage might be worth it but I'd like to know I'm getting the better screen out of it as well.

[@simonrockstream]

Anti-Glare definitely makes the OLED worse.@@markdigi

[@m.israel2209]

Dave2d mentioned anti glare took somewhat away from the OLED screen.

[@21backwards78]

A KZbinr named dave2d already covered this And in fact the anti glare does make the oled screen worse

[@rubberduck8867]

Don't think it will be that much of a difference tbh. I'd wager unless side to side you won't notice it. Colours will be a bit less saturated and not as inky on the blacks. To not see yourself reflecting in the screen and everything around you. While traveling worthy trade for me. I also don;t consider OLED that good perosnally PSVR2 sucked in every regard, including colours and IQ on the panels

[@yazuak]

You're the first person to show how dim the OLED gets in comparison to the LCD. I was looking for that specifically, since it's so important for maintaining a circadian rhythm. thank you!

[@matthewjohnson1891]

Same, been playing holo cure to fall asllep to at really low levels and works magic.

[@Jhud69]

Wow the case is a great idea. I carry a bag so the original case was way too big for me, the slim option is perfect. The oled screen looks great too! I’ll def upgrade one day. Also it was adorable when your kid bursted in not realizing you’re filming lol I always appreciate „bloopers” like that in videos!

[@frankcastlefan]

I watched the video and Didn't remember seeing Russ's kid, so it was nagging me, "where?" and for the curious (all one of you) about 4:00 is where we see a youngster enter frame with a switch or something. It's funny, they like handheld consoles, like Russ. :D I looked away apparently and missed him the first time.

[@CornyPuddle]

You should let him do more shots for future videos. He did a good job!

[@tonetraveler992]

I really love the choices of games you demonstrate in your videos. I've ended up buying (and loving) quite a few games that you've shown off.

[@elijah2403]

I found that the issue you pointed out around 3:25 is easily addressed if you just keep your tortilla chips in your pockets. Great review, thank you!

[@RetroGameCorps]

Great tip!

[@02337755]

THANK YOU! The “Etched Glass” section was what a lot of us were trying to figure out!

[@zenful7487]

Thank you for actually doing some good comparisons on what etched glass screen looks like with or without a screen protector. It seems to be a downgrade every time an OLED screen uses a matte finish. The 1tb model should have been superior in every regard but for most people the 512gb screen is superior, which is a shame because its very well priced for the storage increase. Imo they should have just ditched the etched glass screen and let people put on their own anti glare protector

[@Sur_GalaChad2189]

^^^ THIS. forcing etched glass is stupid they could have just included a anti glare screen protector with the case.....

[@frankcastlefan]

@@Sur_GalaChad2189 Wait, are matte screen protectors a thing? I don't think the reflective one is really my speed.

[@Kobforshort]

I’d like to know this as well looking for a proper screen protector designed strictly for the etched OLED

[@soullos555]

Thank you for showing how dim the screen gets. A lot of times I'm in bed playing at the lowest brightness. Knowing the OLED version can get even lower is awesome to hear. It was already impressive on the LED version.

[@GigaGrim]

Thank you for showing the lowest brightness comparison, no other review/showcase I have seen showed that and was a concern of mine given that the OG steamdeck was able to get so low already.

[@LazyGuyCoyote]

Thanks for including a more in depth screen comparison. Other channels didn’t really try showing off the differences between OLED / LCD. Least not as depth

[@chrislaustin]

Yeah, that case is cool and for those buying the high-end model, it's a nice bonus for sure, and it shows how Valve even gave the case an upgrade along with so many other things on the device itself. The low tier OLED is the one I'm looking to get and I always planned to get the tomtoc smaller case for when I got a deck and that still seems best for me(since the shape is unchanged). I'm not that into the etched glass, and while 1tb is great, I can swap that myself for some savings as well. Damn near nothing was left untouched and was improved in some way on the OLED, it's just bonkers that a company probably not making that much on the device, did so much work to it. Valve truly is for the fans, as besides not changing the overall shape of the SD, they improved everything anyone ever asked about. And even though it didn't get smaller, that helped to improve the fan, battery, internal parts, etc. Nintendo should take notes, but they won't.

[@WickedRibbon]

Shout out to your nephew! The B-roll was fantastic.

[@AFLY1NGSQUID]

I really want to see a battery life comparison from the old to the new across various emulation titles. Performance changes would also be nice, but I'm not expecting as much there.

[@21backwards78]

Someone already tested this I believe the oled did about 20-30% better during battery testing with the oled lasting 1 hour to an hour and a half more running triple A games than the LCD steam deck

[@FortuneHunters]

Cyberpunk goes from barely 1hr 30mins on the old LCD model to 2hr 15min on the OLED model from another review I saw.

[@21backwards78]

@@FortuneHunters hey I saw the same one you did

[@meric12131415]

​@@21backwards78yup that was IGN

[@chiarosuburekeni9325]

I’ve never had battery issues running emulation of any kind on my Deck. I know nothing about tech but there’s a massive difference in battery life playing emudeck vs actual Steam games. Like I can play roms basically forever without charging. If I’m playing an AAA games I might get a couple hours

[@misterkeebler]

It looks like you were experiencing crushed blacks in Ori. I don't know all of the settings available to you on this oled version but you would likely need to calibrate a bit. The simpler settings to dabble with at first would be brightness, gamma, and something likely called black level but could be labeled differently. A big benefit of HDR though is seeing specular highlights and you need high brightness for those. So if you are going to play on more moderate brightness settings like how you showed the slider on that Lego game, then i would often just turn off HDR altogether for that title and just enjoy the OLED on its own. Not that it will hurt anything. Just wouldnt be as impactful to the image. This screen looks great but i could see myself using HDR sparingly with a handful of newer games.

[@TomYoungster]

^ this, the video has a flawed comparison by not running both at max brightness.

[@joemarsh3136]

Really great video! Exactly what I was looking for, comparing the screens on the OLED Steam Deck with the Rog Ally and Legion GO.

[@jameschoy7146]

Thank you so much Russ. You just saved me from buyers remorse with the Legion Go and instead will go with the steam deck OLED!!!

[@techspiritzz2268]

Thank you so much for making this video! Was waiting for someone to cover the differences between the 1TB anti glare coating and the non-coated versions. You covered the topic very well. Cheers!

[@Neolith_]

The Steam Deck OLED will be my first handheld since the 3DS. I am looking forwards to it. In addition, this is my first video from you. I am impressed by the production quality. Props to you both.

[@RetroGameCorps]

Thanks for watching!

[@chrisespinal4168]

I wanted someone talking in depth about the etched glass and you delivered. It’s really tough to decide which model to get because I hate my reflection but I also want to maintain image quality

[@CF542]

I wish they offered the 1TB model without the etched glass for the same reason, to maintain image quality.

[@meric12131415]

​@@CF542ehhhhhhhhhhhh nope people want a more premium display if they're paying more

[@CF542]

@@meric12131415 Sure. I'm just saying I wished they offered it in both screen types for the 1TB model.

[@distreall]

⁠@@meric12131415 I have an etched glass model. Compared to the reflective glass model, the image looks less sharp and has a lower contrast. It feels like lower models have more premium screens.

[@xellaz]

I thought about this too but I don't mind the etched screen of my original 512GB flagship Steam Deck LCD. And etched screen or not, I will still put a screen protector on it so I went for the Limited Edition. 😅

[@joshuaroughan3350]

You're Nephew is amazing, GO Russ! for giving him the oppurtunity!

[@shortanimationz]

Russ you just sold me on the Legion Go. I was looking for a windows handheld and that side by side between the LeGo and the OLED SD sold me that LeGo is the way to go.

[@Tonno7]

same. Windows is just so much better. I'll wait a little bit for Lenovo to improve the software. By then the availability of the GO will be better also.

[@TheRIkkyP]

Thanks Russ. Your comment on not being blown away by the screen was all I needed to hear. I’m getting a bargain on a LCD one and rather than forking out for this OLED one.

[@B_Machine]

Russ is someone who sees a lot of screens, so his opinion may differ from someone who has two-three screens in their house and non of them being oled. That being said, if you have the LCD already it's still a very nice device.

[@Chummy8]

Thanks for the video Russ. I'd like to see some coverage of Retrodeck and a summary of the upscaling/graphical tweaks per retro console you use for steam deck emulation. Maybe a video titled how to get retro games looking the best on the steam deck.

[@IniquityGames]

Awesome video. Would love a video dedicated to a potential upgrade from the OG Steam Deck.

[@deathtopeanuts]

I own the midrange Steam Deck and strongly considering upgrading to the equivalent OLED. I had no interest in the Switch OLED, but I use my Steam Deck way more than I use my Switch in handheld mode. Although that's also because I ran over my Steam Deck with my car the first week I got it and it's had a small screen defect since. But if anyone was wondering, A Steam Deck in its case inside a backpack can be run over by a 2015 Toyota RAV4 and survive mostly unscathed...

[@bozhidardimitrov3573]

what I'm wondering is how your backpack ended up under your car lmao

[@deathtopeanuts]

@@bozhidardimitrov3573 So sad. Loading up the car for a trip, backpack got set aside and forgotten. Started backing out of the driveway and the whole car bumped and I freaked out

[@Riknos]

Excellent side by side review - thank you! The Level of detail you go into is so useful, right down to the diagonals on the d pad - amazing!

[@RJSamonte]

What an amazing refresh from Valve! I don't feel like it's worth it to replace my LCD version, but I'm happy for people getting the OLED version this Xmas. If they had made it an 8" OLED and eliminated the bezel completely, I probably would have upgraded.

[@nefariou5]

if they made the entry model oled I'd have been more tempted. having to buy the mid-tier to get the upgrade is a bit too much of a price bump for me

[@Spealer]

@@nefariou5Tbf they did keep the pricing the same as the original pricing, just swapped them out with oled instead of hiking the price.

[@rushmore3927]

They said that was the largest they could fit without compromising the form factor. If you look at the tear downs, you will see what they mean.

[@RJSamonte]

Gotcha. I can't wait to see what Valve does for the Steam Deck 2. I'm thinking we see that 8" screen.@@rushmore3927

[@c4cheddarYT]

400k, congrats on an awesome achievement, you deserve it!

[@nefariou5]

this was the video I was looking forward to. I'm still a little sour that I got steam deck a few months ago. edit: thinking more about it, the reason I bought a steam deck despite not having lots of time for gaming anymore, was that the cheapest model with the steam sale was incredibly cheap, and I could just put in my own ssd to make it useable. If I planned to buy an oled I'd have to get the mid-tier which is $549, which is a huge price difference!

[@akmalamni]

Thanks a lot for covering the anti-etch OLED topic, seems like a lot was waiting for this!

[@ralph4lyf]

The majority of people I know that have a steam deck, even online people that I don't know. Everybody's upgrading we're just going to try to sell or steam decks on facebook marketplace or let go or offer up. But there is no way we're are not buying this. It's everything we wanted . I can finally let go my switch OLED and just use my steam deck

[@X862go]

Agreed 👍 this was why i got the ally. Simply for clear text and better touch. But now the steamdeck has both. Guess I'll just get headphones 😅.

[@boscotheman82]

Not buying at all, OLED screens are a gimmick

[@CaptainEffort]

@@boscotheman82definitely a bad take

[@hooky17]

@@boscotheman82you absolutely haven’t used one if you think that. Use a switch OLED compared to LCD. Night and day. What’s the ‘gimmick’ exactly?

[@nickthemage2052]

@@boscotheman82innovation is not a gimmick Lmaoo

[@lgolem09l]

I would love a screen comparison between LCD antiglare, OLED glare, OLED antiglare, and do it specifically OUTSIDE in the shade, not inside. The antiglare is a HUGE deal for playing outside with the original model. But the new one with infinite contrast MIGHT be better outside without, I don't think you can tell from just specs. Depends probably on how much light the glare screen also diffuse coming from the screen, not only the diffused light from the environment.

[@Sur_GalaChad2189]

as somone who plays outside with my steamdeck every day for lunch with a glossy screen it does not botther me one bit especially with max brightness and the OLED model actually has a higer 600 nit peak brightness so it will be even better. Etched glass is just a buzzword to make it seem better because both still reflect light.

[@lgolem09l]

@@Sur_GalaChad2189 I have a steam deck with the etched screen, and I love it for playing outside. Holding something like my phone side by side shows a big difference depending on the scene

[@Sur_GalaChad2189]

i have the glossy screen and play outside every day on my lunch break and have 0 issues and if i did i would just buy a anti glare protector... OLED screens are meant to be glossy it makes the colors pop and the blacks crushed.

[@urboijash3955]

@@Sur_GalaChad2189I traded in my 512 GB OLED cause the reflections are so bad. Since the OLED shows true blacks, playing outside or in lighted areas is unplayable for me because when the screen is actually showing those true blacks all I see is reflections

[@Franzgoesberserk]

Shoutout to your nephew! Those are cool shots. I used to do product photography, praticing with my own consoles. Super fun stuff 👍🏻

[@bnr32jason]

Thanks for doing the screen protector test. I really wish Valve would have sent out a mix 512GB and 1TB models so we could get a direct comparison of the screens. I'm buying the 512GB because I want the best possible visual experience. It's sad the in visual ways the 1TB model is actually a downgrade.

[@tappersreviews4677]

Totally agree. AFAIK no reviewer received the 512GB version. Really wish the etching was an option instead of tied to a SKU.

[@meric12131415]

I mean the higher ups buying a high end version of the deck gotta have something to look forward to

[@wile123456]

Am I the only one who likes the click dpad of the PSVITA? Diagonals was so easy on it because each arrow was it's own button with instant travel time. Mushy dad's feel very old to me

[@rslack777]

I’m diving into portable pc gaming and handheld emulation for the first time. I think I have almost decided on the Steam Deck OLED 512. I’ll use the difference in price from the etched 1tb on a large SD card. Your videos on Emu Deck have convinced me I can do all the emulation I want without a Windows based handheld. Once again my preference of a glossy screen has me focusing on the 512. Thanks for your great reviews.

[@RagnarCrumpets]

Didd you get it then?

[@TorradoAngel]

Hey Russ. Thanks for the video. I was waiting for your review and it didn't disappoint. I personally think I'm gonna try to snatch a special edition. Very welcome update. Valve ticked all the boxes here. Cheers!

[@racerx3065]

I wish reviewers would clarify that the new case is only with the 1TB model. Quite misleading.

[@Alexvander10]

I absolutely LOVE the comparisons to the original deck as well as the other handhelds/switch and the attention to the case. Subscribed

[@hoylematt1]

Thank you for being the first reviewer to talk directly about the clarity reduction effect with the etched glass. I am considering getting the middle model with no etching for that reason.

[@SolidSt8Dj]

Dave2D covered this in his initial coverage

[@hoylematt1]

@@SolidSt8Djwhat did Dave recommend? With or without etched?

[@SolidSt8Dj]

@hoylematt1 He recommended the 512gb version unless you're particularly worried about direct sunlight or something similar, but it wasn't an enormous difference either way.

[@WimpyWarlord]

Finally a comparison video with some actual comparison, rather than just superficial opinions

[@jjforcebreaker]

Great screen and battery expansion aside, it's just staggering how many small improvements they've managed to include in this revision. Truly a labor of love and exemplary product support!

[@anab0lic]

'staggering'... lol hardly, aside from the OLED screen there isn't much to get excited about here.

[@WhiskeyAfterHours]

@@anab0lic found the ROG ally owner

[@anab0lic]

@@WhiskeyAfterHours Nope, OG steam deck owner here.

[@Playerdrew10]

Love the family cameo and creative b-roll!

[@mattb6522]

Great video! I already have a Steam Deck, so will pass on this as it isn't enough of an upgrade for me and I usually play the Deck docked anyways. That being said, this seems like a no-brainer for those new to the Deck and play mostly handheld. I do look forward to see what Valve does if they make a full Steam Deck upgrade.

[@pastarhythm2762]

Thanks for this great review! One thing I'm really curious about is input lag on the controls. The Deck's controls have always felt very good for me, but it would be cool to know if the input latency is any better (aside from touch sensing, which is confirmed to be more responsive.) Thank you for your input on the glossy vs. matte screen difference. I'm definitely thinking of going with the 512GB model. The screen has been my biggest gripe with the Deck since forever, so I want zero compromises on color accuracy.

[@Helicon1]

The OLED screen response time is

[@OGTechNick]

The Contra Test thumbnail. Love it

[@rsvp9816]

would have liked to see comparison of the 3.5 preview visual saturation boost vs oled, then the 3.5 visual saturation boost on the oled vs stock

[@ib0093]

Me too! If the 3.5 saturation boost is good on my current 512 gb it will likely decrease my FOMO for the OLED.

[@DG-777-]

Thanks for the review. Just ordered the 1TB Oled and looking forward to it😊

[@Dephario]

Really appreciate what they did with the case. Steam giving us all the options possible with our product starting with the case lol

[@Moskeeto]

That new case is only for the 1tb model though.

[@Yayobyte]

Congrats to your nephew bro. Nice shots

[@bamtna]

please compare the fan noise i see it mentioned in most reviews but nobody actually demonstrates the difference

[@sethfrederick5249]

Love the Joyce Manor shirt!

[@Knyghtmyr]

I think the touchpad feedback felt better on the oled due to the better refresh rate.

[@alessiosem2238]

Emudeck devs are one of the best people out there. If you can please support their work with a little donation because they deserve every single penny.

[@mystrdat]

RetroDeck is a lot better.

[@martinh4982]

I personally can't justify the upgrade. These changes are good, but this is an incremental refresh and I don't think there's enough here to warrant buying another one.

[@ZombieRofl]

I see a man desperate for some sleep and at the same time test the Steam Deck. Respect for you my man.

[@samh5886]

1. Did your original deck has vibrant deck or on OS 3.5 (which already has inbuilt altered colors) ? 2. Was color vibrance set to srgb/middle/native in your test? Setting to srgb should show sdr content as intended by creators, which might reduce the "over-red" you are noticing in some games.

[@mattfick5502]

As a dad, 4:08 made me chuckle. My kid is always bursting into my home office too. It's heartwarming that you have the kind of workspace and home where your kid can just come crashing in. Also, Steam Deck OLED looks great

[@siphillis]

The section on the etched-glass display is very much appreciated, and confirms what I suspected: anti-glare is a tradeoff, not a premium addition. If you want THE best possible picture quality and can control the lighting situation you play in, then the glossy screen in the 512GB model is objectively better. However, if you travel a lot and have to play in whatever lighting conditions you find yourself in, the etched glass is a compromise worth making. It's just strange that Valve opted not to offer two varieties of the 1TB model.

[@adinwalls]

Your excitement for this device is infectious, but I am way too jealous and bitter to care 😂

[@kagataikaguri]

I really want to clear that rant out of my head: Does anti-glare oled really worsening the experience that much as others say? I've read about 20 post and discussions about this and I still want to buy the 1 TB one but I still cannot be %100 sure

[@werpu12]

Not really that much, frankly spoken, there is no ideal display either live with a mirror or live with fuzzy mirror, but the anti glare is rather subtle, definitely not as bad as putting an anti glare protector on top afterwards. But I am also not quite sure, the lower tier makes sense because then you can swap the sd out in favor of a 2 TB model and it still is only 20-30 bucks more expensive than the 1TB model. The case, I can live without it although it is really nice but not 110 dollars nice. And for the screen either screen has its merits!

[@kagataikaguri]

@@werpu12 You are right. Do you know how many ssd slots does steam deck has? If it is 2, then I can add 1 or 2 TB to the 512 gb version but if it is otherwise, I wouldn't want to deal with the selling replacing the ssd and resetting the device.

[@werpu12]

@@kagataikaguri only one, it is a full swap and 2240 format, so not that common although it is not that rare anymore, you can theoretically add a second one via usb, but then you block your usb port, alternatively you can put sd cards in, which is what most people do! Thats one of the areas valve theoretically could work on for rev 2 (among other things) Either way it makes sense to go with the smaller one if you want to add a bigger storage internally, because it is a full swap!

[@kagataikaguri]

@@werpu12 Thank you for the info! Can I ask one more thing? If I buy a high quality micro sd like a Samsung evo or sandisk ultra, would that be significantly worse than a m2 ssd as of performance?

[@eno3197]

He showed the switch Oled(I think it is not anti-galre) and steam deck oled anti-glare, I think he told is about the same colors. My screen is not oled, so I can't tell by the video, it seems similar.

[@budthecyborg4575]

I want to see the HDR OLED Steamdeck compared to the Legion Go playing Everspace 2. (Everspace 2 in particular should really pop because it's a space shooter with bright lasers and stars contrasting the blackness of space). One of the best things about OLED Steamdeck is this will be the first HDR experience for many people.

[@djfanboyLIVE]

I always find it hilarious how casually these emulation channels show Switch games running on non-Switch devices lol.

[@Kobforshort]

I find it hilarious I bought a Steam deck OLED LE to play Tears of the Kingdom and I’ve never used a switch 🥲🤪

[@breka3482]

Keep in mind that switch emulation isn’t good yet so I highly recommend getting switch games for hassle free stuff

[@sniper00691]

And the switch suck it feels cheap and breaks easy I have 4 of them 1 og switch 2 lites and a oled my kids have broken multiple joycons on the og with only small drops from a chair or couch and switch emulation get better everyday there is a yuzu update everyday to every other day with pretty much all games are playable at full speed

[@Liyasilverstan]

Good luck without yuzu now😂😂😂😂​@@sniper00691

[@banban5568]

rip switch emulation

[@theshepard22]

I and so many others are sure to be squealing with excitement for this initial and upcoming full review of the updated SD! Thank you Russ I'll be trying to justify ways of keeping my newish SD and making it comfortable without having to gravitate towards this new OLED 😅. Monitors and external controllers are gunna be my close friends very soon!❤

[@NicoSensei]

I will definitely upgrade. 2 things I'd like to know though: - can you swap out the SSD from your regular Deck, it would be nice not to have to go over reinstalling everything (I have a 2To SSD)? - is the backplate interchangeable, for those of us who put a custom backplate and would like to keep it?

[@MithosDagon]

I’d like to get confirmation on the SSD swap as well. I’ve seen that one post from the valve dev that said it’s possible if you are on 3.5, but I’d like to see someone try it.

[@hamzasaeed918]

-The SSD is interchangeable, since both use 2230 SSDs. -The backplate should be interchangeable, but I’m not sure.

[@jessycruz2465]

I'm sold already with the better battery life and oled screen. Can't wait when this thing is available in my country.

[@SuperMuffinman645]

Hey Russ, just got a quick question. Does the screen have a greenish tint on 30-50% brightness like the Switch OLED does? It's most noticeable on dark greys but that aspect of the Switch OLED drove me mad, and all the panels seem to have it. Is there anything like that on the Steam Deck OLED? Thank you man, love the channel.

[@WackoWambo]

Great plug for your nephew!

[@Davemate]

In terms of just saturation or vibrancy you can tweak that even on the LCD screen with the Vibrant Deck Plugin or the new screen settings in 3.5 OS. Vibrancy is easily adjusted Tweaking with colors is possible outside of default settings, If you want it to be more red, more green etc; just some things will be exclusive to the OLED like the pure blacks, response times and a few other differences, but vibrancy is easily changed

[@giftsonjac]

Yeah. It looks as if reviewers purposefully leave out testing with vibrant deck enabled. With screen being the main selling point for OLED, it would help impulse buyers, to compare LCD with the best possible screen settings

[@Davemate]

@@giftsonjac Yeah the fact that no one mentions this does come across weird, and they're not doing a good job of actually informing people with the correct information Especially when vibrancy is as simple as a few sliders

[@didjidks]

I think everyone who compared LCD decks have SteamOS 3.5 installed on them already, which improved vibrancy. The default settings are good enough and no matter how you tweak it, it shouldn't be better or the same as OLED. Moreover, you can also tweak vibrancy on OLED too. But I agree that it'd be nice to see how it tweaks on OLED and compare it to LCD.

[@Davemate]

@@didjidks 3.5 isn't in stable channel currently and they don't state if it is or isn't enabled. These comparisons should show, or say if it's default settings and what (if any) screen settings have been changed), so people know what they're looking at. Different panels, IPS, OLED, LCD, QLED etc, they all start at different defaults and all can be color calibrated to be as accurate as the screen is capable of (If you want color accuracy, or a certain vibrant profile) each screen has it's limits, but the LCD does have a high gamut range and great color compatibility on the Steam Deck; which isn't difficult to correct I don't expect the average person to know this, but the dedicated Steam Deck channels should know better. The OLED will have battery savings, higher brightness, deep blacks and many other advantages, but that's not what they mostly talk about, they just compare colors, lol. It's already possible to make the colors cartoonishly overly vibrant on the LCD, the main advantage is the deep deep blacks of the OLED when it comes to color

[@giftsonjac]

@@Davemate Great points. In the video, he states that Lenovo Go screen (which is LCD, though with a higher resolution) is on par with the OLED deck, which is why I'm curious if anyone really tested the deck's LCD to it's limits.

[@nolandderlugner1351]

U legit have one of the best channels

[@adgeifc]

Battery efficiency bump is insane wish people tested it more

[@RetroGameCorps]

That’ll be a future video.

[@ilpastor]

Thanks Russ! Your nephew did a good job too :3

[@emilianovelarde8611]

Quick question. Was the switch OLED in "vivid" or "normal" mode when they were side to side?? Thanks!

[@coolmodee]

Vivid

[@RetroGameCorps]

I didn’t realize there are multiple modes, so they’re on whatever they are on by default (which according to the internet, it’s vivid).

[@LiquidTurbo]

This review, along with the steam deck OLED is next level! You should hire your videographer full time!

[@WhatAboutZoidberg]

So the OLED is as good as the legion go, which you said was amazing, but the OLED deck is just ok? Did I hear that right?

[@RetroGameCorps]

I’m saying that as far as OLED panels go, it didn’t knock my socks off. It’s still an excellent screen. The Legion Go has an amazing screen as far as LCD panels are concerned.

[@BenRK90]

I am 100% getting the OLED model. I have a 512GB Steam Deck upgraded to 2TBs, so picking which storage I want really doesn't matter as I'll be swapping that out ASAP. As for why? OLED HDR 90hz screen.

[@yazuak]

I really wish you were able to compare the glossy OLED deck (the 512gb one) with the etched. I want the limited edition deck, but not if the screen is worse and a screen protector doesn't entirely fix it.

[@mystrdat]

Do you mostly use the deck in very bright areas? If not then there's no reason for the etching. If you do, slightly dimmer colors are a lot better than the whole image ruined by heavy reflections.

[@yazuak]

@@mystrdat No, I use it indoors on my couch. The question for me is, is the glossy screen FOMO going to bother me enough to be a dealbreaker for the limited edition

[@MassiveRican]

Yes I will be upgrading my OLED and would love to see a video of your take on that.

[@TheEnduringCitizen]

I really hope I can take my 1tb ssd from my current deck and just slap in straight in the OLED model. It will save me a ton of time downloading all my games again

[@RetroGameCorps]

According to Valve, yes you can. I assume you’ll need to update to the most recent SteamOS before swapping.

[@TheEnduringCitizen]

@RetroGameCorps I'm currently on the stable channel so maybe I need to switch over to 3.5 on the beta channel ?

[@RetroGameCorps]

@@TheEnduringCitizen yes I imagine so. But I think we’ll probably get guidance from Valve before they start landing in people’s hands, too.

[@TheEnduringCitizen]

@@RetroGameCorps awesome stuff ! Thanks for replying to my questions 😀

[@mvanalst2003]

I love the kid cameo. Adds another layer of “realism” to the content. Great stuff here, Russ. Thank you for the information and entertainment. Looking forward to so much more, sir.

[@SpikeBlighty]

It would be interesting to see the performance of light indie games at a low TDP and how much the battery life has improved. Thanks

[@Birdo64]

Love the Joyce Manor shirt! Wouldn’t have expected you to be a fan haha

[@bb_lou]

while the new case is dope as hell, i still find my most basic inconvenience from the original case here: you cant charge the Deck while in the case unless you use a 90° flat usb-c adapter. I am very envious of the new more efficient APU, new battery and screen, but I'm really intrigued by the new trackpads. I use the rumble emulation feature ln the original Deck quite a lot, and I find it extremely lacking. I'd love to know how the new trackpads fare for rumble though!

[@GotYourChalk]

Props for giving your nephew some practice time, nice work

[@Kekeripo]

2:50 you can put a lot of stuff in that "Outer" shell. Looks like some USB hubs will fit and depending how deep the inner shell is, IEM headphones and even some pocket sized SSD. Pretty good if you want all your gear in one single place. 9:20 doesn't the deck allow per game system settings, like colors? I'd love to have specific setting for specific games.

[@Cyko..]

I have the OG Steam Deck and kinda wish I would've waited. This OLED model is such a beauty!

[@jaideepnaik7454]

Great review ! Really enjoyed the screen comparisons.

[@frosted_cupkate]

Would be interesting to hear whether there are any improvements on the new power button in terms of functionality. On my LCDeck, the power button gets mushier over time until it's very difficult to use. I've had to take my deck apart every few months to realign it, and apparently that's not an uncommon issue either. EDIT: In case anyone happens to come back to this thread, I bought the OLEDeck and poked at the power button for a bit - stopped short of taking the shell off to see if they've changed how it fits onto the board, but it definitely feels a lot sturdier. Hopefully this means it'll last!

[@turbochargedfilms]

The new orange power button is the one and only thing about this refresh that I truly, sincerely hate.

[@frosted_cupkate]

@@turbochargedfilms In terms of the feel? Or just the color?

[@danteneal5561]

​@@turbochargedfilmsI love the colour

[@KeepIt1HuniTT]

Shoryukenable or Hadukenable???!!! 😁 Excellent perception of describing satisfactory controls with this intuitive analogy from your perspective. 🙂

[@MasterMMM703]

I think i want the 512GB one because I don't want that anti glare glass , it does make the colors a bit worse and makes its oled screen lose a bit

[@averagejackmedia609]

As someone that went with the etched glass.. I'll be going with the 512gb glossy finish this time around. Didn't make a massive difference in reflections. just diffuse them to a degree

[@B_Machine]

​@@averagejackmedia609I currently have the 512 as well. On multiple occasions I have found myself thinking a glossy screen would be nice and definitely would go that route if I buy another one.

[@xdragoonzero0]

On the orange power button; I think if Valve is serious about continuing their console line, it makes sense to have a defining color in the same way we have Red, Green, and Blue for Nintendo, Xbox, and Playstation. Not sure if the Steam deck would catch on to the same level of relevance, but if it ever does something like helps people find Steam Deck related products in stores.

[@lukenowlandfilms]

I wonder if part of the reason you felt that HDR wasn’t giving you a good experience is because your brightness level was not set to 100%. HDR on most TV’s work their best when you allow the screen to get as bright as possible. Things like the sun can hit 1000 nits this way, but you will then see grass, people, etc hit 300nits for example, which is average for a standard SDR image. If you start lowering your brights, the sun will hit maybe 600 nits, but now you’ve pushed normal objects to 100/200 nits. On top of it all, this is what might be pushing your darkest images into dark nothingness and losing detail. What might be beautiful detailed dark areas that range from 0-50 nits when you have the screen maxed out could all get squashed to 0 nits when you start lowering brightness. Would love to see your experience with HDR again when trying different brightnesses. Thank you for the awesome, friendly, and thorough reviews you provide!

[@disconinja108]

Russ told his nephew "Well, I've got handhelds for a photoshoot, you can take pictures and videos. Do you wanna do it? And nephew said"Yeah, man, I wanna do it."

[@sniperwolfe0361]

One thing to note about price too is that going from the mid 512 to the high 1tb really isn’t too different in terms of doing it yourself. All the value on the LCD’s were in the 64 because you can upgrade it for a fraction of the cost but in this case, it’s only a $100 difference and that’s about the cost of a 1tb ssd anyways and you get the other stuff along with it, and not to mention obviously not having to crack into the deck and do it yourself although a really simple process but a nice bonus altogether. Seems valve took note of that from the previous model lineups

[@rla9889]

Definitely. Best to just get the 1tb and not void your warranty with the new revision.

[@joshzackeroff9220]

Thank you for your informational videos. I'm thinking about picking up the oled steam deck even though I already own the 512 OG steam deck. Main reason on my end is that their main goal seems to be the delivery of a handheld gaming PC on a linux hand held. I support 100% breaking away from windows for that alone. I look forward to seeing more reviews from you about the new steam deck oled. Once again. Thank you for what you do!

[@retrohandhelds]

Dang i'll have to stop keeping my tortilla chip crumbs in my backpack!!! Thank you for the awesome video my sir - Stubbs 😁