Valve Steam Deck OLED review

Full review

The Steam Deck OLED is a handheld PC built around Valve's SteamOS 3. If your gaming already lives on Steam, it is the most direct way to take that library with you, and it boots into a simple console-style interface with a full desktop mode underneath.

The star feature is the 7.4-inch HDR OLED screen, which runs at 1280 by 800 with a refresh rate up to 90 Hz and a peak brightness of 1000 nits according to Valve. The low pixel count keeps demands on the chip modest, but it is less sharp than the Full HD screens on rival handhelds. The 50 Wh battery is rated at 3 to 12 hours depending on the game, and it can charge from 20% to 80% in as little as 45 minutes.

Storage comes as 512 GB or 1 TB NVMe, and every model has a microSD slot. The 1 TB version adds an anti-glare etched glass screen and a better case. Connectivity is Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, and 16 GB of memory is fitted.

It weighs about 640 g and is a chunky device, but the grips are comfortable. There is no subscription ecosystem and no support for console games, so it is best for people who already buy PC games through Steam.