(logo chimes) - So Hardware Week
continues here at Gameranx. We talked about the updated PS5 Slim, but we've also been spending a lot of time with Valve's updated Steam Deck. This is the OLED edition Steam Deck. Valve did send this to us to test out, and so far, the experience
has been pretty good. I just realized, like
it's before you buy video. I should really start, Hey, we're back with another
episode of Before, right? Should I do that?
- [Andrew] Yeah! Technically. - I mean it doesn't really make sense. - [Andrew] Why? - Because it's an annoying
intro anyway. (laughs) This is another one where
it is pretty cut and dry. The answer is pretty obvious. Do you need to run out
and buy this right now? No. If you are a Steam Deck owner, this is not a full overhaul
of the Steam Deck internals. It's not going to be able
to run more powerful games or anything like that. What this is is a revision,
and what they did here was seemingly just totally go after two of the biggest complaints
of the original Steam Deck. That was the quality of the LCD screen, which was a let down for a lot of people, and also the battery life. Now, you know, there are
varying results here, but I think, overall, this
is a slightly improved, good Steam Deck. It addresses the issues. The screen makes a hell of a difference. We're gonna dive into that. Overall, even with things
being slight like this, it is a much stronger
revision of the Steam Deck. I kinda fell in a similar
line with the Switch OLED where I was like, ah, you know, that's
not that big of a deal. And then I saw the OLED, and I was like, oh boy, that
is definitely the case here. I'd say even more so because the Steam Deck screen wasn't really anything
to write home about. Now, it sure as hell is. So with everything,
everything breaking down, the first thing I think we
should talk about is this screen. This is a full OLED screen, so, you know, if you have games that can access the wider color gamut, you could do all that. I should start from the beginning. If you're saying what's
the big deal about OLED, well, OLED is a type of screen that gives you better bolder
colors, deeper blacks, and stronger contrast to say the least. And you might think
that's like a nitpicking pixel counting type thing. No, it makes a hell of a difference. Like I'd say go to a store and go look at an OLED
screen versus a non-OLED TV. There's a big difference. There's a reason why people
have been clamoring for this on the Steam Deck. And, I mean, maybe you can see you know, as I've been holding it up here, but like right from the
get go on the menus, you notice a difference. The screen just feels so
much brighter, bolder, more visible. Sharpness, maybe, sure, but
really, it's about the color, and that can make a hell of a difference. In this case, I really think it does. Also with the OLED screen, you can access a higher refresh rate from 60 now up to 90 if
you're a refresh rate pervert. Andrew, I'm looking at you. - [Andrew] Shut up! - Also, and showing this
to people in real life, it's actually one of the first
things some people notice who at least have seen a Steam Deck before is the slight increase
in screen real estate from seven inches up to 7.4. You got reduced bezels, and as someone who is like
a stickler for bezels, it does make a nice difference, especially on the left and the right. Overall, again, I think
the screen is a win here. We haven't seen like
as much light bleeding or anything like that. And yeah, but then I
also wanna acknowledge in between the other important note is the little things here, some of the smaller things
that they have updated. So again, no new like chip or hardware upgrades
or anything like that, but slightly tweaked physical things, like, for the instance,
the controls, the buttons. The power button, almost like kind of
going for like a Pixel 2, Pixel 3 type thing. The power button is a different color, which is a small thing just so you can tell it's the OLED one. But the status light
indicator, the power button, is now multiple colors,
which I actually really like. It will be a certain color for booting up. Really, it's the controls and stuff. So the joysticks have a
black color underneath, and they feel a little better. The face buttons are a little
bit of like a darker tinge, and they feel different. I'm still not sure if I
like them better or not. It's not a huge thing. But what I did notice immediately is the Steam and menu
buttons on the sides. They are way more clicky buttons now. They were a bit mushy on
the original Steam Deck. Now, you really feel like
you're just pressing a button. Again, small, small
things, but little things. That's what we're doing here. Also the D-pad itself has
gotten a massive upgrade. I noticed that immediately when playing more old school things like "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater". I had a much better time
pulling off the combos and the muscle memory and stuff because the D-pad itself
is just stronger, sturdier, and raised slightly higher. Also, technically, it is slightly lighter. I don't really notice it in
like moment to moment use, but I notice it a little
bit when I play it in bed. Not to be like weird, but yeah, you know, when you're holding
it in bed after a while, you can get fatigued. I still do a little bit, but like it does feel a little easier. Hey, I bring my Steam Deck to bed. And you know what? I'm sure a lot of people do. And while the internals like
the hardware isn't changed, there might be some more
efficiency going on. Digital Foundry did point out that you can get a couple
of frames here and there, but this isn't like a Steam
Deck Pro or anything like that. The focus is on all the other
stuff we're highlighting. Also the fan inside has been revived. It's supposed to be a little quieter. I haven't noticed that, but I have noticed that
it smells different. What? That's an observation. - [Andrew] You think
I don't love the smell of my Steam Deck?
(Jake laughs) Every time I boot it up, I'm like-
- You're like (sniffs). Also, with the charging cable
that comes with the device, it is significantly longer. So again, little things. But jumping over to my last real section is the battery life. So Valve did increase
the battery life here addressing the one other
complaint of the thing from 40 watt hours to 50 watt hours equating to I think
something like a 25% larger when like looking at Valve's
numbers and stuff like that. So they are saying, in the marketing, three to 12 hours of gameplay
up from the originals to eight hours. Now, you might say that
range is very large, but it's because this is technically a PC and various settings
and different controls for quality and battery
life and managing that, so it's all over the place. And what I can say is
that it's hard to really, after a couple of days, get a good feel for the battery life. You know, just first impressions like with some of the more powerful games like say like "Spider-Man", I have noticed that it kills the battery a little less slower, but again, I have no like
data behind that or anything. So for me and us here, 'cause we're not like battery math, like electric output nerds,
the jury is still out, but again, that improved size in the watt hourage of the battery, I think is significant, and Valve has, you know, done some little
things here and there, optimizations behind the scenes, like I do notice that it charges faster. But yeah, I said it with the
original Steam Deck review. The battery life didn't
bother me that much because everybody's
experience is different. Some people are gonna wanna
run AAA games on this thing full blast, full brightness. You're gonna play it for a little while. I stick to, you know, smaller scale, more chill games on this thing mostly, so I'm already happy
with the battery life. I usually keep it at 40 Hertz anyway, so I'm expecting long-term
to see a slight improvement, but nothing as like, wow, what an upgrade, like the screen. The screen is really why
you're going for this thing and why ultimately we would recommend it. Again, it's not something you need to run out and buy right now. You don't need to throw out
your original Steam Deck. It is still great. It is not obsolete by any means, but they are selling the
original Steam Deck right now I think at like, kind of
like a while supplies last at a discount, and eventually, I assume
that's going to be phased out and the main model is
going to be the OLED, and I think that's great
because the screen kicks ass. Oh, one thing I did also
wanna note, side note, if you are like, you know,
going full big spending here and buying the one terabyte version, the carrying case is updated. I already really like that Valve even included a carrying case with the original Steam Deck. I think that case is great. Now, it's kind of the same thing, but with an inner detachable shell. So essentially, it's almost
like more of a sleeve for your Steam Deck within that that you just yank out with Velcro, and then that little sleeve, you can more easily fit
in say like a laptop bag, something like that, and I've already really been
enjoying the benefits of that. So Valve went for it. They took the Steam Deck,
they made it better. Is the Steam Deck for
every type of person? At this point, I don't know. You may play different games on PC that don't necessarily, you know, compliment
themselves to the Steam Deck. And there are also other
devices out there on the market. Lenovo's Legion is the newest one. The ASUS ROG thing, people
have been really digging that. AYANEO is still very much at work and doing all sorts of revisions, so there is more of a
market for this thing. For my taste as a user,
I prefer the Steam Deck, and I'm happy now that it has an OLED and I'm gonna go buy one, so yeah. Again, pretty cut and dry. I remember seeing comments on my videos and the Gameranx videos when
the Steam Deck did come out with some people saying like, "Ah, the battery life and that LCD screen, I'm gonna wait for a revision." So, you know, they kind of
answered your questions here with this. It is not a Steam Deck 2. I'm still very much
looking forward to seeing what eventually the Steam Deck 2 may be. Valve has gone on record
about that a little bit, but for now, Steam Deck OLED,
that's our first impressions. I do wanna know what you
guys think in the comments. Are you ready to get this thing? Are you pre-ordering it? Are you gonna try and get that fancy special collector's edition one with like the see-through plastic? I know you're trying to do that. - [Andrew] I'm trying.
- Good luck. Even still with the impressions on this, do you think the Steam Deck
still isn't quite for you? Do you still want more
battery life, a bigger screen? You know, everybody has
different preferences, so let's talk in the comments. Definitely wanna hear from you guys. But if you liked this video
and maybe it helped you out just getting some first
impressions and stuff like that, clicking the Like button helps us. Thank you, but that's it. I'm Jake Baldino. See you guys next time.
