I keep hearing that the OLED version is much better not only screenwise, but also the overall experience. Is it wort paying double the price (second handed)?
the OLED version has a more efficient CPU and fan resulting in a quieter fan noise
if you only play with headphones or only play lesser graphical games like Slay the Spire or Brotato you probably barely would notice the difference though
I just upgraded from LCD to OLED. I would say the difference in battery is significant, and the blacks/colours are also very nice. Reduced screen bezels means that the oled is a slightly larger screen too.
I’m a person that played the LCD deck every day, and I would say these changes in the OLED are worth it for me.
Context: I’ve got a gaming PC with a 3070ti in it, that gets ignored most of the time now, and that was true when I only had the LCD deck.
Really depends on your use case and whether you have a spare buck for it. In my case I had money to throw at it and went OLED. Not super impressed, but the responsetime is near instant which still amazes me. Black really is black as well. If you got some spare cash to thow at it, might be worth it if you enjoy HDR content for example. If you don’t really have/are on a tight budget: go IPS, still a better choice for quality/price imho.
I have both. I do not think the OLED version is twice as nice, though it is noticeably improved.
If the cost is an issue, but doable, consider getting the LCD deck and putting the extra cash toward a TV dock and Bluetooth controller. The deck is awesome on the go (just took mine on vacation - 10/10) but it’s also a fantastic console in its own right. I play a lot of PC games on my couch, even though my I have a decent desktop PC available.
Either one you purchase though, the Steam deck is the best gaming device I’ve ever owned. Access to the vast Steam library (even if not all titles are compatible yet), access to install whatever else TF I want - even competing stores, emulation nevermind.
It’s just… 🤯
In addition to battery life, colors, and screen size that others have mentioned, I think the weight reduction on OLED when I upgraded was actually the biggest thing that shocked me.
It’s not immensely different, but if you use it daily, it’s lighter enough than the original model to make a noticeable difference and just makes playing so much more comfortable, especially for longer periods.
I would not have expected the weight reduction to be this big a deal, but it really is for me.
I noticed and appreciated that weight reduction too. As a gamer who started with the Mattel Electronics IntelliVision, my hands are now less forgiving of stress than they used to be.
