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[Topher]

That video was great, it puts the legion go back into contention for me but ultimately I probably just go with the deck. I have an LCD deck and was already looking into another handheld anyway.

For what its worth, I dont think the OLEDeck will be sold out heavily for months like the regular, I think itll be easily available after a week or 2.

Really good video. Shows the Go and Ally are pretty dang good screens for being LCD. OLED has the edge on both though. Just more depth in the colors.

We will see if you are right about the stock. I've decided I'm not going to pay hard cash for my own impatience in any case so could change my mind entirely later on. Rog Ally is still a kick ass little handheld.

No longer using Rog Ally as my desktop though. Built an Arch Linux desktop out of my old HP gaming PC. So far it isn't bad at all, but we will see how it goes.

 

[MacReady13]

This or the Legion Go??? I’m wanting to buy one this Xmas but have no idea what to go for…

 

[Lillie]

This or the Legion Go??? I’m wanting to buy one this Xmas but have no idea what to go for…

steam deck OLED... clear

 

[MacReady13]

steam deck OLED... clear

Is the better performance in gaming of the Legion worth going for over the Steam Deck though?

 

[Darko]

This or the Legion Go??? I’m wanting to buy one this Xmas but have no idea what to go for…

Steam deck.. I can’t get over the portrait screen and lack of software and proper drivers.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Rich on the OLED screen: "It's like having an LG Television, top end LG Television, in the palm of your hand."

LMAO so Rich doesn't own a phone or a Switch, like most of GAF?

Phones have had OLED screens for like 10+ years now

Switch has had an OLED screen for 2 years now

 

[Gamezone]

This or the Legion Go??? I’m wanting to buy one this Xmas but have no idea what to go for…

Steam Deck. Much better screen and battery efficiency. Also the Legion GO software is lacking.

 

[Panajev2001a]

Yeah that's the whole reason why monitor reviews (good ones) always include close up photo of screens.
Pure glossy screens will be clear, sharp and vibrant.
Matte screens are just the same screens with permanently applied 3d matte film.
In case of steam deck, they are actually laser etching the screen. There is no film applied. The screen is just roughed up. So it is still rather clear but but still diffuses light.

You do see regular non anti-glare screens Steam Deck being more vibrant and colorful though…

 

[Panajev2001a]

Steam Deck. Much better screen and battery efficiency. Also the Legion GO software is lacking.

That is why I go Deck every day of the week and twice on Sunday, the software / Steam Deck UI is just so well done overall. Polished, functional, extensible, really full of features (per game official and community control overlays you can download, rate, customise, and reshare… performance overlays and per game performance profiles, etc… so much PC-stuff that is made easy to use and accessible), constantly improved over time (one of the first pieces of AMD HW getting Starfield patches to get it to run better or at all, outside of Xbox Series X|S consoles), etc…

Some stuff like the ability to change screen refresh rate (again all per game) and put a framerate limiter was great already, but now being able to tweak the framerate limiter and refresh rate at such small increments is even better (it should be able to ensure no tearing but also not juddering as it smartly adapts refresh rate to the chosen framerate). Seriously, even on consoles there should be 50 Hz options, so many TV’s can handle that framerate and it would give all those games in the 50-60 Hz range a target they could all hit without VRR, that would be very smooth, but would also allow to drop visual quality less to hit… I do not get why Switch does not have the ability to change the refresh rate per game, they could have Sonic Superstar look a lot better if they could change the refresh rate to 50 Hz and almost nobody would notice…

Plus what they are doing with Proton, just amazing… giving so much hope to Linux gaming and working on a very hard problem (starting to get DX12 RT support, it is impressive). I hope they can get more and more Deck optimised games, all handhelds will benefit and we make it easier and easier for these games to reach people.

I think it bodes very well for the kind of HW and custom SoC they must be preparing for Steam Deck 2 (they may try for system level or assisted LFC and full VRR).

 

[xrnzaaas]

Two of my friends have the Deck and they're both planning to sell it to get the OLED. I reckon it's going to be a good opportunity to pick up a used previous model even cheaper.

 

[cyberheater]

How does the Steam Deck cope with emulators?

 

[Panajev2001a]

How does the Steam Deck cope with emulators?

Very very well . This is where the 1280x800 16:10 screen shines too actually as it is flexible between modern 16:9 games and older 4:3 or 16:10 optimised games (especially on PC).

 

[GametimeUK]

This is probably the only time I've felt genuine early adopters buyers remorse. My one criticism was the screen. If the game I want to play is available on Switch and Deck then I find myself reaching for the Switch more often. That's providing its an indie game where the game runs well on Switch and doesn't have many visual cutbacks.

The Oled screen on Switch is excellent.

 

[cyberheater]

Very very well . This is where the 1280x800 16:10 screen shines too actually as it is flexible between modern 16:9 games and older 4:3 or 16:10 optimised games (especially on PC).

Thanks. That’s good to know.

 

[Lucifers Beard]

Yeah, so after some thought, I'm buying one of these. I'll try and sell my 64Gb model in the next week or so. Probably sell it for around £250. Only had a couple months so should hopefully garner some interest!

This one looks very good, that screen is fucking lovely.

 

[Panajev2001a]

Thanks. That’s good to know.

OLED will have the benefit of true black for the smaller but still present bars you may have for any screen aspect ratio mismatch.

I do hope Valve has selected some good algorithms to avoid burn-in… well, aside from the battery life (… which is not bad actually, still not 10 hours of continuous use for the most demanding games).

 

[64bitmodels]

Asus: I GOT THE 7840U AND THE HIGH REFRESH RATE AND WINDOWS AND-

Valve: oled screen

Asus:

 

[Silver Wattle]

Asus: I GOT THE 7840U AND THE HIGH REFRESH RATE AND WINDOWS AND-

Valve: oled screen

Asus:

People *think* windows is a positive, but it's actually a negative since Microsoft have done nothing to make windows better on this type of device.

 

[Lord Panda]

It's coming to the EU as well!

Valve still hates us Aussies.

 

[n111ck]

Is there any suggestion as to when these will actually ship if ordered on Thursday?

 

[Lucifers Beard]

Is there any suggestion as to when these will actually ship if ordered on Thursday?

It'll release for order on Thursday but I imagine it will have the standard 'delivered between 1-2 weeks' message attached to it.

If its any consolation, I ordered my 64GB model on a Monday and got it either the Thursday or Friday that same week. I'm based in the UK and the device shipped from the Netherlands so I thought that was good. Hopefully it'll be the same story here.

 

[Ozriel]

People *think* windows is a positive, but it's actually a negative since Microsoft have done nothing to make windows better on this type of device.

Still a significant positive until you and Valve can manage to get FIFA 24 running on SteamOS, or if SteamOS had native Gamepass support.

Partitioning my OLED’s 1TB storage and dual booting Windows as soon as I get it.

 

[Topher]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned it, but does it bother anyone that the SD OLED still doesn't have VRR?

 

[Minsc]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned it, but does it bother anyone that the SD OLED still doesn't have VRR?

I think it was discussed, but the half-solution is to just cap the framerate like you do now. They didn't want to spluge on a custom interface or whatever is required for VRR.

But it can do VRR on external displays - so if you use it hooked up to a TV you get it, though the current LCD one can do HDR + VRR as well, so that's nothing new.

I kinda hope they splurge for it on the Deck 2, but VRR does best in the 40+ range - actually 60+ and higher the better, while that goes a little against the whole run your games as low wattage as possible image the Deck has for it's super long battery life.

 

[vodka-bull]

I‘ll upgrade the internal SSD to a 2tb one, any recommendations?

Also, for anyone who already owns one: I just saw a video where the guy couldn‘t turn it on with a controller, not with the XSX, Dualsense or a third party controller, is this option somewhere hidden in the settings or how does it work? Because that‘s a killer feature!

 

[vodka-bull]

I do hope Valve has selected some good algorithms to avoid burn-in… well, aside from the battery life (… which is not bad actually, still not 10 hours of continuous use for the most demanding games).

Check out wulff dens video regarding the switch oled burn-in…

 

[rocketleague]

I want steam deck Oled but third party sellers in Switzerland are thieves with the +30 or 40% price increases. Any reasonable stores that ship to Switzerland you guys recommend?

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned it, but does it bother anyone that the SD OLED still doesn't have VRR?

Would’ve been nice to have for sure. Hopefully the next version will have it.

 

[vodka-bull]

I want steam deck Oled but third party sellers in Switzerland are thieves with the +30 or 40% price increases. Any reasonable stores that ship to Switzerland you guys recommend?

Let it ship to my adress and I‘ll send it to you

 

[rocketleague]

Let it ship to my adress and I‘ll send it to you

mate I'm not allowed to order it "not available in your country" is the point

 

[Sleepwalker]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned it, but does it bother anyone that the SD OLED still doesn't have VRR?

Its not a big issue for me really.

But the Ally has gotten so cheap here that I can get an open box one from best buy for less than the deck oled. Ugh

 

[StereoVsn]

Its not a big issue for me really.

But the Ally has gotten so cheap here that I can get an open box one from best buy for less than the deck oled. Ugh

Ally isn’t bad. My main issues with it are battery life and Windows. It just burns through battery very quickly and Windows sucks for a device with a small screen.

ASUS did update the software quite decently so it’s a lot less buggy vs release now days. Much better by all reports vs Legion Go.

And VRR is helpful. Quite often games can fluctuate in that 50-60 range, even 45-60 range and it helps a lot there with tearing.

 

[Sleepwalker]

Ally isn’t bad. My main issues with it are battery life and Windows. It just burns through battery very quickly and Windows sucks for a device with a small screen.

ASUS did update the software quite decently so it’s a lot less buggy vs release now days. Much better by all reports vs Legion Go.

And VRR is helpful. Quite often games can fluctuate in that 50-60 range, even 45-60 range and it helps a lot there with tearing.

Yeah I bet VRR is super helpful for the ally, for the deck not that much since usually in demaning games its 30 to 40fps sweet spot.

To be honest I was almost commited towards the legion GO before they announced the OLED deck, the Ally was third in consideration, but the legion GO is the most expensive of the lot at $950 canadian, while the Ally is $650 and the deck is $680.

Im going to try secure the deck on release and if I fail ill grab an open box ally I think.

 

[Minsc]

Check out wulff dens video regarding the switch oled burn-in…

Hmm. 3600 hours of 24/7 still image to get mild burn in.

What are the chances of that?

Say you played 4 hours a day - and immediately put your Switch to standby, and you only played 1 game, and that 1 game had a UI that never moved.

That's about 2.5 years of playing 4 hours a day of a single game the entire time to get mild burn in.

Realistically someone who gamed over 2.5 years might not average that high, probably closer to 1-2 hours, so let's say half of that - so actually 5 years to get that mild burn in.

I'm pretty sure in 5 years I'll have moved on to the Switch 2, or at least a second game hahaha.

 

[StereoVsn]

Yeah I bet VRR is super helpful for the ally, for the deck not that much since usually in demaning games its 30 to 40fps sweet spot.

To be honest I was almost commited towards the legion GO before they announced the OLED deck, the Ally was third in consideration, but the legion GO is the most expensive of the lot at $950 canadian, while the Ally is $650 and the deck is $680.

Im going to try secure the deck on release and if I fail ill grab an open box ally I think.

Legion Go software state isn’t great. Ally runs faster at lower TDP right now. So it can hit like 10fps more in say FFVIIR while running at 15w vs 20w on Lenovo.

Unless you really, really want that bigger screen and “joycons”, IMO, it’s not worth it at this moment.

 

[HoodWinked]

Valve continues with its rare form of altruism

They refreshed the steamdeck not because they needed to but because they can. That video does clarify the point of the refresh was not to make things cheaper but to make it better. Completely insane.

Versus the PS5 which was entirely done to make it cheaper with little improvements at the same price point.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

Valve continues with its rare form of altruism

They refreshed the steamdeck not because they needed to but because they can. That video does clarify the point of the refresh was not to make things cheaper but to make it better. Completely insane.

Versus the PS5 which was entirely done to make it cheaper with little improvements at the same price point.

Oh come on. They made it because there’s a market for it and they can make money by catering to that market. It’s a great product but that’s not altruism.

When Apple releases a new iPhone at the same price as last year’s model and knocks $100 off the old model, are you like “OMG Apple didn’t have to do this, it just shows how much they love us!!! Completely insane!!!”

 

[Topher]

Oh come on. They made it because there’s a market for it and they can make money by catering to that market. It’s a great product but that’s not altruism.

When Apple releases a new iPhone at the same price as last year’s model and knocks $100 off the old model, are you like “OMG Apple didn’t have to do this, it just shows how much they love us!!! Completely insane!!!”

Certainly not "altruism". Don't think it is a "cash grab" as others have said either. Seems like a perfectly fine iterative refresh of a product that has been out 20 months. Particularly when the screen has been the single most criticized component of the device.

Valve continues with its rare form of altruism

They refreshed the steamdeck not because they needed to but because they can. That video does clarify the point of the refresh was not to make things cheaper but to make it better. Completely insane.

Versus the PS5 which was entirely done to make it cheaper with little improvements at the same price point.

Nah.....Valve needed to do something. They couldn't just let all these competitors offer up sexier speced models without a response. This was needed for SD to stay relevant, imo.

 

[Codes 208]

Valve continues with its rare form of altruism

They refreshed the steamdeck not because they needed to but because they can. That video does clarify the point of the refresh was not to make things cheaper but to make it better. Completely insane.

Versus the PS5 which was entirely done to make it cheaper with little improvements at the same price point.

No improvements whatsoever from what ive seen, and the diskless version went up in price
Not to mention that they even took out the stand that normally comes with it (a very apple move of sony to pull)

The slim was essentially made to cheapen production using pretty much the same apu as the regular revised ps5.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Casuals could have their hands full with the steam deck I grew up with this

 

[Ozriel]

Legion Go software state isn’t great. Ally runs faster at lower TDP right now. So it can hit like 10fps more in say FFVIIR while running at 15w vs 20w on Lenovo.

Unless you really, really want that bigger screen and “joycons”, IMO, it’s not worth it at this moment.

Not exactly fair to compare Ally performance and software after months of updates and fixes to hot off the press Legion Go.

Spec wise, the Go should have the slightly superior performance.
Touchpads, bigger battery, dual USB-C ports, kickstand, tablet mode and more robust eGPU support are also added stuff that the Go brings to the table.

In turn the reduced weight and smaller size are advantages the Ally has over the Go. Which is why I went with that when a great open box deal popped up.

Valve continues with its rare form of altruism

They refreshed the steamdeck not because they needed to but because they can. That video does clarify the point of the refresh was not to make things cheaper but to make it better. Completely insane.

Versus the PS5 which was entirely done to make it cheaper with little improvements at the same price point.

The refreshed it to boost sales and to stave off competition from new entrants. None of this has anything to do with altruism.

 

[MatrixReloaded101]

Valve continues with its rare form of altruism

They refreshed the steamdeck not because they needed to but because they can. That video does clarify the point of the refresh was not to make things cheaper but to make it better. Completely insane.

Versus the PS5 which was entirely done to make it cheaper with little improvements at the same price point.

No they had to release a refresh model to keep up with all the competitors that are releasing new PC hand helds.

This is also why I don't believe the Steam deck 2 is "years" away like they said, I think we see the steam deck 2 in 1.5 years at the latest, with the market moving at the pace that it is they can't afford to wait "years" to upgrade the specs.

 

[LavitzSlambert]

No they had to release a refresh model to keep up with all the competitors that are releasing new PC hand helds.

This is also why I don't believe the Steam deck 2 is "years" away like they said, I think we see the steam deck 2 in 1.5 years at the latest, with the market moving at the pace that it is they can't afford to wait "years" to upgrade the specs.

Steam Deck 2 available holiday season 2025, mark your calendars.

 

[StereoVsn]

Not exactly fair to compare Ally performance and software after months of updates and fixes to hot off the press Legion Go.

Spec wise, the Go should have the slightly superior performance.
Touchpads, bigger battery, dual USB-C ports, kickstand, tablet mode and more robust eGPU support are also added stuff that the Go brings to the table.

In turn the reduced weight and smaller size are advantages the Ally has over the Go. Which is why I went with that when a great open box deal popped up.

The driver / software issue is why I said “at the time”. I think it’s a gamble to buy the device on the premise that Lenovo fixes everything.

Lenovo’s support on software side can be spotty, although I do think they will fix things. But the device isn’t on sale or anything so might as well wait, IMO.

 

[Panajev2001a]

Check out wulff dens video regarding the switch oled burn-in…

I am scared . As a switch owner I want to think Nintendo handled it somewhat… there are ways to do it decently (see LG, you need to really abuse modern OLED panels to suffer burn-in).

 

[Panajev2001a]

No they had to release a refresh model to keep up with all the competitors that are releasing new PC hand helds.

This is also why I don't believe the Steam deck 2 is "years" away like they said, I think we see the steam deck 2 in 1.5 years at the latest, with the market moving at the pace that it is they can't afford to wait "years" to upgrade the specs.

I think Valve can wait and they will. This gives them a modest performance bump, but mostly solves any of the grievances people may have had with it. Cooler, lighter, longer battery life, best screen in the market (HDR and 90 Hz with super fine refresh rate tuning for games with a per game profile), the best Game Overlay / OS UI in the market for such a device, etc…

Holiday 2025 makes sense, I think you are over estimating the speed of improvements for mobile devices. The easy performance improvements lunch is basically over.
N3 processes are super expensive and still problematic (ask Apple) and N5 will not get you much more than N6 (6nm) while still raising costs again. Valve also needs time to adapt the software layer to take advantage of the new HW (extracting and abstracting the features from DX12U+ with Proton/Wine/etc… like they are doing with RT support now).

They want and promised devs making Steam Deck verified titles a stable Steam Deck platform (and as a user I say “Thank god or Lord Gaben for that!” too) so when they launch its successor they need to have a large jump that can then stay on the market with only minor revisions like this OLED model for 3 or so years or until the next large jump.

This is not a PC, none of these handhelds is. You do not change their HW easily and cheaply and ultimately it is better for devs and for users to have a stable platform (you do get gains when devs have a stable good target to optimise for). I am doing my part, I do not care if other PC based handhelds come out, Valve is the only one charting the path I would want to commit to so… that is who I am following.

 

[vodka-bull]

Valve continues with its rare form of altruism

They refreshed the steamdeck not because they needed to but because they can. That video does clarify the point of the refresh was not to make things cheaper but to make it better. Completely insane.

Versus the PS5 which was entirely done to make it cheaper with little improvements at the same price point.

Valves revenue certainly lies with steam, not with the Steamdeck. But of course they‘re also profit-oriented, they are a company, not a charity.

 

[Zheph]

I am jumping on the train, let's goooo

 

[Silver Wattle]

I wish valve sold the SD in my country, the markup from resellers is insane, best offer I'm seeing so far is about $950USD for the 1TB(not collectors).

 

[Hudo]

$950USD

Goddamn.