Should You Upgrade to Steam Deck OLED? My Rambling Thoughts.

[@sashikafernando5926]

I have watched thousands of steam deck videos and found out that this is the best review so far ! Really simple and to the point.

[@Loaded0]

Thanks!

[@NoradNoxtus]

Curse of the dead gods of s such an underrated game, great for OLED too because of how the lighting works. Also 90hz is being overlooked here, it's the gift of better frame pacing and also more frames for indie games

[@Loaded0]

I very briefly mention it, but yeah it’s great they added the 90hz for playing games at 45fps.

[@josephbailey6548]

I have the LCD model and the fan noise isn’t loud at all, the battery life is terrible I agree and I’m not too fussed about using a OLED screen on a handheld so I’m good and I have the 512GB model so I have the anti glear screen so I’m good. IMO the OLED model is a device that vale pushed out to keep up with the competition and added a few tweaks.

[@Loaded0]

Yeah, one of the few advantages the Windows handhelds have used to be better screens so good timing on Valve’s part.

[@NothingHereForYou]

To me when you were comparing TOEM, you say it looks more purple and I get what you mean, but it looks more warm than the cool tone of the LCDs. It just looks more accurate with the OLED to my eyes and you can see it having that warmer red to it with the white of the Portal man

[@Loaded0]

Yeah, it’s very subjective. Depends on the environment and for everyone watching it depends on the screen they’re watching on too. I didn’t even know there was a temperature difference until they were side by side.

[@syygnis]

I would say if you can Yes. For me the OLED is worth it for the extended battery life, 90hz refresh rate, increased screen size along with the OLED colours of course. I personally own an 256GB LCD. Got it in Japan for a great price only because the, OLED was completely sold out.

[@Loaded0]

Yeah I’m still very much appreciating the battery life. Unless the LCD bothers you I don’t think it’s necessary for the OLED screen though. I tend to make up excuses very easily to get new stuff and it’s not a great habit to have.

[@casedistorted]

Jesus EBay sucks now if they take that much.. I guess I was lucky then because I sold my steam deck locally through marketplace for $350 after I bought my OLED

[@Loaded0]

Yeah, eBay fees definitely have gone up. There are other up and coming online marketplaces, but I've been lazy to make an account. Local is great, but I don't like the potential back and forth with the buyer it can sometimes lead to.

[@lynngee7]

I spot that Legion Go… can’t decide between the two. Love the look of both.

[@Loaded0]

Yeah it’s very tough to choose, but it’s good to have competition. At the moment I’m using the legion go more because the game I’m playing needs tweaks on the Steam Deck to run properly. Besides the compatibility issues though, the Steam Deck is a very easy to use and well balanced handheld.

[@Savor1979]

Yeah i’m keeping my old steam deck….. I even have my old version 2 Nintendo switch LCD screen. If I really want to play them on a OLED screen, then I’ll use my xreal air pro ar glasses which is awesome

[@Loaded0]

I really want to get ar glasses, but waiting for prices to come down a bit. Now they’re even making higher refresh rate versions which would be great for gaming too.

[@blanka4545]

This glasses eventually will get them

[@g3rmany600]

i love how the oled screen is the third reason to get the oled

[@Loaded0]

I love the screen, but I didn’t feel like it was worth $550 just for that after comparing with my other Decks. I was much more impressed with the other upgrades after the initial honeymoon period with the screen ended.

[@blanka4545]

90hz number one game changer! Fail! Didnt say here!

[@blanka4545]

​@@Loaded090hz!! Number one! Low latency bluetooth don't disconnect. Bad video here not accurate

[@Loaded0]

I did very briefly mention it actually. The thing is though most people won’t notice a difference. If a game can run at 90 then it certainly can run at a stable 60 on the LCD Deck and they both feel smooth. I have noticed running a game at 45fps at 90hz compared to 40fps at 40hz on the LCD model is better though so I mentioned that.

[@blanka4545]

I notice it feels great the track pads do too. I can use the touch screen so much better no lag! Its what should of been day one!

[@rudemption]

Very comprehensive review! Do you plan on reviewing legion go (saw it on video) and comparison between oled?

[@Loaded0]

Thanks! The Legion Go has honestly been pretty bad when I got it so I’ve been giving it a little time to fix things to give it a fair shot. Since then it has gotten a lot better. I’ll review it soon, but I’ll probably only touch on a few comparison points. SteamOS and Windows are just so different. They definitely both have their separate strengths and weaknesses.

[@keepitshort4208]

Will go for the OLED 512gb My concerns are the dead pixels and the headphone jack issues. So I hope to get from the batch that has resolved these problems 🤞🏼

[@Loaded0]

I have the headphone jack problem, but seems to depend on the headphones used too. As for dead pixels I’m sure it’s a bit overblown. Any screen can have them, but it’s always a very small percentage that have the problem. Most should be caught in the QC phase.

[@keepitshort4208]

@@Loaded0 is it still in the QC phase ? Also wanted to ask is the download while in sleep mode out yet ? As the oled might get burn on screen if on for too long 😅 Appreciate the reply 👍

[@Loaded0]

@keepitshort4208 I wouldn’t worry too much about burn in. New OLED screens need to be on for a long time for it to be a problem. It still can’t download on sleep mode. And I meant QC as in the display company probably checks them before sending them to Valve for assembly, but sometimes dead pixels can still happen later.

[@dr.chungusphd108]

I’m selling my brother my lcd at the beginning of February and upgrading to a 1tb Oled.

[@adrianwilliams6577]

I'd get a Steam Deck OLED if I wasn't suspicious that Valve won't release a successor in the next two years, I'm skipping the current OLED and I'm going to wait for the next Steam Deck.

[@Loaded0]

Yeah that’s the route to go. I do think there will be something new in two years. If not there should at least be a major price drop by then.

[@arsalanahmed7254]

Playing older games like Bioshock, Arkham series and older souls games at 90 hz is literally my favorite thing about the OLED.

[@Loaded0]

Most of my Steam library is older games so it’s perfect for me. Feels good to be able to work on my backlog.

[@blanka4545]

Yup!

[@mrb3991]

Hi I Gave you a Sub from the Uk, I have the LCD Steam Deck, on the Dec 21St I bought my self the 512Gb Oled for Christmas , Hopefully it will arrive before Christmas ??

[@Loaded0]

Thanks for the sub! I’m not sure how Valve supplies the UK, but I hope you get it in time. It’s a great machine.

[@genzshirai]

May I know which game you were playing at the beginning?

[@Loaded0]

Of course. It’s called Curse of the Dead Gods. Pretty fun roguelike game. I thought the dark environments would show well on the OLED.

[@SomeJohndoe]

Thanks. How are the thumb sticks grip wise? Is it enough to forego using thumbstick caps?. Always have caps on mine because the lcd ones are slippery. My gripes with the lcd are the disply and the thumbsticks so i will jump to the oled

[@Loaded0]

It’s very grippy. It’s like a sticky rubber. Kind of worried about how long it’ll last. They remind me of the PS3 controller sticks in their grippiness, but those smoothed out very quickly. Either way you’ll like the OLED sticks if we’re using caps before.

[@supgamers6006]

Great video 👍

[@vanceg4901]

Since I bought a 7" high couch desk I prefer playing on my 14" Lonovo laptop or Samsung Android tablet "streaming" using a Xbox One S or Xbox Series controller. Don't think I could play on a small screen like this and constantly hold that brick.

[@Loaded0]

I still can’t get used to the streaming input lag, but definitely still use my gaming laptop when I have a place to put it. The small screen is pretty bad though for reading the small type in a lot of pc games.

[@vanceg4901]

@@Loaded0 - One thing for sure, Steamdeck OLED has better stick tension compared to the loose floppy sticks on the ROG. The couch desk and great quality Sony headphones have made my laptop gaming much better. I sometimes plug my laptop into the 43" Sony Bravia 4K TV " if my wife isn't hogging it ".

[@notepadplusplus4923]

The oled version in my country is severely marked up

[@Loaded0]

Yeah, unfortunately most countries other than the US have very expensive tech prices. I feel for you guys.

[@Mabifield]

My second reason in the ranking is, input lag revisions. I'll explain this bc it's a bit confusing. In the LCD deck framerates are set on the 60hz screen with 60,30 and 15fps, if you change the refresh rate to 40hz the screen will readjust to that refresh rate and it will increase input lag for a bit (not that of a problem tho) The problem becomes at the 30fps mark, I don't know why but setting frame limiter in games at 30fps with 60fps limit it's great and responsive, but limiting fps to 30 through overlay causes to have a noticeable delay, not unplayable, but in shooters for example it's more noticeable than in dark souls. With the OLED model, you can use 90hz with 90, 45 and 30fps without changing the refresh rate, that means 45 fps are responsive, and feels great, and the 30fps limiter is better than the lcd model because it operates in 90hz instead on the 60hz. TL;DR: Input delay is better, 30fps limit it's a good improvement on latency on the oled.

[@Loaded0]

Yeah I have heard the guys at digital foundry talking about how it would affect input lag. While I haven’t noticed much in that department I have noticed slightly smoother gameplay. I think they said it’s because of improved frame time using the 90hz.

[@S1RLANC3]

Absolutely, if you can have 1 TB vs 512 MB then it’s a no brainer.

[@Loaded0]

I have the 512GB, but luckily it’s easy to upgrade later on.

[@mohammadmomeni7635]

What is the name of the game ?

[@Loaded0]

The one in the beginning? It’s called Curse of the Dead Gods. Pretty fun rogue-like game that didn’t get much recognition because it came out after Hades. Later in the video is Dark Souls 3.

[@josephsosa776]

I see you like to copy TechDweeb's "giglebyte" phrasing.

[@Loaded0]

TechDweeb is one of my favorite KZbinrs. I don’t remember intentionally copying gigglebyte but I was probably influenced or it’s just how all true dweebs say it.

[@MichaelSt]

Why buy 2? Dual boot

[@Loaded0]

I like having things separate. One dedicated to Windows, one for SteamOS. I might do the dual boot once Valve officially adds support for it though since I only have one Steam Deck now.

[@toniivanov6920]

you can buy battery from new OLED version and put in LCD game runs 4h AAA gaming

[@Loaded0]

The battery size and internal layout is different so they are not interchangeable.

[@toniivanov6920]

u are another person Valve lie to buy same hardware :D :D :D

[@Loaded0]

Well, I wouldn’t say they lied. They were pretty honest of what they changed. People like me love new shiny things though.

[@abzkhun2025]

Nice review btw, Im ordering the same 512gb glossy! Are u planning to put a screen protector on your sd oled?

[@Loaded0]

No, I’ll keep it as is. I’m pretty good at taking care of my electronics. One of the problems of a 7 inch screen is that a lot of words are really small for my aging eyes, but the OLED’s contrast helps keep them looking sharp. I don’t want to lose that with a screen protector.

[@adds-kz3oc]

​@@Loaded0 You have a glossy screen, so a glossy tempered glass screen protector wont affect the sharpness.

[@Loaded0]

That’s true. I just don’t like the look of the protector because the front of the Steam Deck won’t be a flat surface anymore. I always have dust underneath too. Definitely better to have a protector than a scratched or broken screen though.