The Steam Deck OLED isn’t just a minor upgrade – it’s one of my favorite pieces of gaming hardware ever
Valve is a liar. A filthy, filthy liar. The company positioned the Steam Deck OLED as a minor incremental upgrade to their successful handheld gaming PC. A minor refresh. But, honestly: there’s nothing minor about this. It’s amazing.
Back before it was released, after a few weeks testing the Steam Deck pre-release, I declared that it was pretty bloody good. I called it a “chunky marvel”, noting that it had enormous potential. At the time, the number of ‘Deck Verified’ games was rather small, and much seemed to ride on how common compatibility would become. The better part of two years later, we have our answer: The Deck is a big deal, and it’s here to stay. In terms of an overview of the actual device, I continue to recommend it and point you to my original verdict.
The number of great on Deck verified games in my personal Steam library has quadrupled since that review in February 2022, and the number of games that can be played with a bit of tweaking has grown fatter still. The device has an incredible library. My main concern for launch has been addressed, then: but Valve has nevertheless decided to address other ones.