Everybody talks a big game about the Steam Deck — critics and owners have said it's a game changer, that every game is better on the Deck, that it's the perfect handheld device. It's been a bit hard to believe, but going hands-on with the Steam Deck OLED, I finally get it. I even waited before reviewing it to see if it was just a new tech honeymoon, but nope, it really is magical.
For the first few days with the Steam Deck OLED in hand, all I did was load up different games to try and find the hard limit for the Deck's capabilities. As it turns out, as long as a game is Steam Deck Verified, there pretty much are no limits. It's very impressive, even if some modern games run a little rougher than others.
The OLED screen really is the icing on the cake, too — yeah, it's "only" 720p, but it's much brighter, higher quality, and even a little bit bigger than any LCD panel in prior models. Almost every (verified) game looks and runs great on the Steam Deck OLED, and it really opens up the gaming experience so much more than you'd expect.
You can play just about anything, just about anywhere. Want to play Batman: Arkham Knight in your local cafe? You can do that. Have a 20-hour flight and want to get most of the way through Baldur's Gate 3's character creation? You'll need a charger, but you can do that too. Whether it's on the toilet or on the couch, having almost every game on the PC platform at your fingertips is a game changing experience.
Not every game is Steam Deck Verified, but even a lot of those that aren't explicitly Deck-ready still work just fine. Steam is the biggest, most robust, most varied gaming storefront in the world, and while not everything is on it most of the stuff you'd want to is, and a good chunk of it plays just fine on the Deck. It's all wrapped up in Steam OS, too, which is essentially just Big Picture mode running on top of some pretty well-optimized Linux.
There's a lot to like about the hardware beyond the screen as well. The analog sticks are sturdy and reliable, the d-pad is a little weirdly placed but otherwise great, and everything else about it feels sufficiently premium. It's a little on the heavy side, but given how much tech is packed into this thing, that's more than forgivable.
It also stays very quiet and very cool — much more so than the original Deck. Even in the most intense gaming sessions, you'll barely hear a peep from the fans and you're never at risk of burning your fingers no matter where you put them.
The only major drawback is the battery life, which leaves a lot to be desired. If you're smashing through a big triple-A game like Elden Ring, you're only gonna get a couple hours out of it at the very most — a decent improvement over the original, but still not great when you compare it to something like the Nintendo Switch OLED, which can net you five or more hours in Tears of the Kingdom.
Still, charging it is easy enough, and because it uses USB-C – conveniently located on the top of the console – you have a lot of options for keeping it juiced up. If you're out and about, on a long plane trip, or just out of reach of a wall socket, you always have the option of a USB power bank too, and there are plenty that are capable of charging it up no matter how hard you're pushing it.
The Steam Deck OLED really is the game changer everybody's talked about this past year and change, just with a much nicer screen and a much quieter cooling system. Gone are the days of sitting uncomfortably at a desk, trying to get a game working on the right monitor, or getting your PC to recognise your controller of choice — the Steam Deck OLED does away with it all. Just load up Steam, find the game you want, and play to your heart's content while chilling on the couch and watching trashy TV. What more could you ask for?
English (US) ·