Gotta love that they know how people tinker with their devices:<p>Rear cover screws now thread into metal<p>Adjusted rear cover screw heads to Torx™, as well as other materials and geometry tweaks on the heads to reduce stripping risk<p>Lowered number of screw types throughout system<p>Reduced step count required for common repairs<p>Improved bumper switch mechanism drop reliability<p>Moved bumper switch to joystick board for easier repair<p>Improved display repair/replacement to not require taking rear cover off
Valve: Install whatever you want from wherever you want - hardware, software, operating system.<p>And they provide you parts and schematics in case you need to repair/mod your device.
Never thought I'd see a day when linux gaming would be as good as what I get via my steam deck these days.<p>Kudos to Valve for embracing such an open approach to gaming/portable devices in general.
The upgrade to 90 Hertz is really good for a non-obvious reason:
In the Steam Deck userbase, the "Golden 40", playing games at 40fps and the screen at 40 hertz, is a pretty well-liked trick for getting the frame time right in between 30 and 60fps at 25ms while "only" needing power to render 10 more frames per second than 30, making for a much better experience than 30.<p>The only problem with this is if a frame is slightly late at 40 hertz, you're waiting the full 25 ms for the next one instead of 16.6ms at 60hz.
Being able to run the screen at 80 hz for 40fps games cuts that stutter time on a missed frame in half to 12.5ms, and will make a huge difference!
I’m a first gen deck owner and am constantly impressed by the quality of the product. The hardware is good, more than good enough, but the fact that it is running windows games mostly seemlessly is incredible. Yes, I know wine has been around forever, but with the deck you barely even notice that you’re running through a compatibility layer. Performance and battery life in all but the last few years of AAA games is also great. The improvements here are marginal, but it’s great to see them making smart, incremental updates.<p>I’d love to see how the market would react to a deck in a console form factor, with similar input options to the deck (pad plus touchpads) and an APU comparable to modern consoles.
TSMC N6 is compatible with N7:<p><a href="https://www.tsmc.com/english/dedicatedFoundry/technology/platform_DCE_N7_N6" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.tsmc.com/english/dedicatedFoundry/technology/pla...</a><p>Which is how they could pull the APU shrink off without breaking the bank.<p>And... Is the OLED not VRR? That was my #1 wish for the original Deck (with #2 being an OLED).
As a Ally user, still not enough to get me to switch but I love the competition that Steam ignited with the handheld PC gaming market. Ally, Legion Go, Steamdeck, Ayaneo Kun, etc. A lot of great devices on the market.<p>I've played more PC games now than I have in the last 10 years.
US and Canada only.. guess it's more wait time for me.<p>> Why isn’t the Limited Edition Steam Deck OLED available in my region?
> Steam Deck Limited Edition is an experiment for our team, and we were only able to make a small quantity. That said, we hope this is a successful experiment and customers are excited – if we see there is a large demand for this kind of product, we will definitely continue to explore more colorways in the future.<p>Please continue Valve
I am mildly tempted to upgrade to this, it seems kinda weird that the OLED is the same resolution? Doesn't it? Maybe I am just out of touch. But I guess at least that means it won't have a performance impact.<p>As much as I love my steam deck, it kinda sucks to use after using my OLED Switch after a while. That screen is just beautiful (especially for Mario Wonder).<p>I have been looking for alternatives for a while now, with the Asus Rog Ally or the Legion Go but the lack of the 4 back controls being vertical have made both of those a no go for me.<p>Kinda wish it was beefed up a little bit (technically it looks like it is, the GPU is no longer listed as a range if you scroll down, but I am not sure why that is).<p>I just want official word that the drivers and everything still work on Windows. I assume it will
A bit disappointing that you cannot purchase just the new OLED screen and replace it in the LCD model, considering the dimensions are the same.<p>I wonder what the true limiting factor for this is? I'd love to upgrade, but ~$500 feels like a little too much for the usage I currently get out of my Deck.
Does anybody here have experience using a Deck booted into Windows with VR headset connected for playing Beat Saber? How well does it work for this purpose? Not finding too much info on that particular setup online.<p>This revision appears to fix my main gripes with the original model so I’d like to buy one, but if I could use it as an ultraportable Beat Saber machine it’d make the purchase more justifiable. While my Quest 2 can technically run Beat Saber natively, the Steam version is <i>vastly</i> more mod-friendly and PCs generally don’t choke as badly on complex custom maps as the middling smartphone hardware in the Quest 2 does.
HN folks, I feel a FOMO for this OLED version because it's just so cool, but I already own a Deck. Would you say there would be an OLED version again, even if limited in stock, in the future?
FYI 2023 is the year of the linux desktop. Its going to be about 4 years before anyone noticed that was it:<p>>Microsoft flops on Win 11, anti-consumer features force a few casual users to try Linux Desktop again. They find Linux Desktop is robust AF, way less downtime than Windows their constant updates and their pestering. They shout the news from the roof: "The future is here"<p>>Steam Deck making it mainstream. More resources, more users, high quality linux rather than cheap chromebooks/raspi. (Love my raspi thou)<p>>Linux desktop being so solid. Fedora take my breath away. I cannot believe this is Linux. I can't believe Linux is literally better than Windows.
My biggest complaint about my Steam Deck is the contrast ratio on the LCD screen. The backlight bleed bothers me more than it should, but I think I've gotten used to LCDs with very good contrast ratios over the last ten years. I'm considering upgrading, but wondering how much my current 512GB would sell for.
Really tempted to replace my current Steam Deck with one. Got one in January and I've put 215 hours on it so far. It's a fantastic piece of kit and the improvements sound like they could be worth the expense.<p>(Wrote some thoughts about it after six months of ownership here: <a href="https://burakku.com/blog/steam-deck-six-month-update/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://burakku.com/blog/steam-deck-six-month-update/</a> )<p>The one thing that I am wondering though is if the Wi-Fi 6E alone can boost download speeds. Seemed to me like the poor download speeds were also because of the storage bottlenecking. Although the Wi-Fi is definitely the weakest part of the current Steam Deck hardware, being quite unreliable at times, so any improvements on that front are welcome.
I actually use my Deck almost exclusively in docked mode. If you just want a low-cost alternative to a PC for gaming, consider picking up one of the now-discounted LCD models.
I want a small, inexpensive gaming computer to connect to my TV and have been thinking about the Steam Deck or a mini pc like the Minisforum HX99G (Ryzen 9 6900HX). Would the two computers be roughly comparable?<p>I'm looking for something small because I don't have room for anything bigger. The Steam Deck is appealing because it doesn't seem very computer-y. What I want is a console that plays PC games. I've tried SteamLink between my desktop computer and AppleTV but it was a terrible experience.<p>Is there something better than the Steam Deck that isn't expensive (ie not more than $2000).
> * Exclusive startup movie<p>Guys, c'mon, I know that you have to have a longer bullet point list for the premium, more expensive option, but you're making your actual advantages sound stupid by including this one.
There is a performance improvement as per [0][1] the memory speed went up from 5500MT/s to 6400.<p>[0] <a href="https://www.steamdeck.com/en/tech" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.steamdeck.com/en/tech</a>
[1] <a href="https://www.steamdeck.com/en/tech/deck" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.steamdeck.com/en/tech/deck</a>
I have the current 512. I won't be upgrading as I can't afford right before Christmas (got to get the kids things) But I will say I love love love my steam deck and I've bought so many more games because of it. Esp indie games. I think it's been great for everyone involved the gamer, the small developer and Valve. I really hope we see them continue to innovate. They're killing it. I honestly think they could make a tablet with SteamOS that just lets you use Bluetooth controls my kids and I would freak out.
I love everything about the Steam Deck except 1 thing.<p>I love that its Linux based, and that you can doc it and turn it into a real PC. The interface is polished and its fast. And it's Steam, so I have all my games!<p>The one thing - I can't play it for more than an hour without getting hand cramps. The ergonomics just aren't very good for me.<p>I play games all day for my job, and I know I can play an xbox controller or a ps5 controller for 8 hours straight without problems.<p>Lucky, because its a Steam Deck, I can plug any controller I want into it.
I'm super tempted by it but I just bought my Steam Deck this year. I love it and have played almost daily (all handhold) and I've got a vast backlog of games to play (that will play well on the deck).<p>Resolution not changing is both a pro and a con but more-so a pro I think. OLED would be really nice as would the battery life but I don't need it.... OTOH that special edition looks really cool...
Very excited for future hardware from Valve. Especially excited for the rumored VR headset that'll double as a set-top-box for your TV (at least that's what I've heard).
As a related aside: does anyone know of any companies or processes by which one can get low volume (think prototyping volume, i.e., single digit quantity orders) custom OLED screens? Bonus points if the OLEDs are able to be custom laser cut (the same process as the "hole punches" that are in smartphone screens).
Can anyone comment on how using OLED might affect total power consumption?<p>Edit:<p>>Steam Deck OLED has 30-50% more battery life. We fit a bigger battery into the case, and the OLED display draws less power.
How does OLED make sense for the steam deck when to my knowledge Linux does not support HDR?<p>I wish I could install Linux on my laptop, but without HDR what's the point!
Good, good. I have two gaming desktops and don't need it. What I need is something like the Legion Go. Not for gaming, mind you. Reading. A laptop is too big, a phone too small. I think it hits the spot real nice and people managed to get Linux working on it right away, which was to be expected. I wonder how much it weighs without the joypads
The reduced LCD Steam Decks are a steal now and you’re getting a marginally worse device. The 64 GB one is essentially the price of a Nintendo Switch, and you can emulate Nintendo Switch games on it as well as play AAA Steam games. No brainer.
Wow! This seems like a really good upgrade just for that screen and longer battery life. Time to finally buy the SD to play that ever-increasing backlog of games in my Steam catalog.
What’s the weight of the new models?<p>The increased battery capacity sounds good, but I wonder how does it affect the handheld’s weight - which is perhaps just as important for comfort.
Pretty underwhelming sales page, they should probably showcase the screen more?<p>Edit: Nevermind, the link in the HN post is not the actual landing page.
Looks cool, gives me a slight pang of regret given the model I purchased 3 months ago is now the entry level and £120 cheaper than what I paid. But I guess I knew I was playing with fire a bit.<p>It’s good to see Valve is staying committed to the platform though, it’s an excellent machine and very cool to see active changes towards increased repairability.
I bought the 512 deck pre-order when it was released, remained sealed in the shipping package for 5 months on my desk, I am not a gamer, but had plans to use it as a portable ground station for robots and drones, got busy and never had the chance to do so, until one day my brother visited me and I gave it him.
I was really hopeful seeing this announcement, but they're not releasing this in Australia.<p>I wonder why?<p>We're a small market, but high income & high disposable income, no language barrier, similar business environment. I'd assume it was easy-as to also do business here.
I wish there was a developer workstation in this form factor (with split keyboard insted of joysticks, of course). Plus the holes so I can strap it around my neck
like we did with cameras many years ago.
I'm quite happy with my steam deck. I use it as my personal laptop and do some web development on it. I just wish they'd support ROCm so that I can run stable diffusion on it.
"This item is not available in your country"<p>The country in question is Switzerland, probably the richest country in Europe, where many people would have bought it on spot.<p>Regional restrictions are so stupid.
This looks phenomenal. I love my current deck, but I'm buying gen 2, and I barely game anymore. For all their ineptitude, Valve sells products they obviously use.
Wondering why Microsoft wouldn't enter this market or why Sony would leave it wide open despite each having deep expertise or assets in this area.
> Will replacement parts be available<p>> Yes, we will be working with iFixit again to provide replacement parts and repair guides for Steam Deck OLED.<p>Excellent news.
I was about to cancel my order for a Playstation Portal after seeing this. Considering a bit further though, I really think remote play is the future as long as you aren't concerned with using the device on the go. My PS5 can handle games way better than a Steam Deck, the device is lighter, and the battery lasts significantly longer. Still a bit torn though, the Steam Deck appeals to the side of me that loves gadgets. It's a tough call.
Disappointing APU upgrade, I've been waiting for them to refresh the device but this new version is significantly slower than the already available Asus ROG Ally.
at what voltage do devices like this tend to operate? I was trying to estimate the ah of the batteries so I could then be frustrated at how they pack the cells in there.
So annoying how hard they are marking up the storage upgrade. I get the pricing model where they gouge the power users to make the entry level unit cheaper. It just sucks when every product is gimped on storage just for this idiotic structure.
This looks like a fantastic upgrade. Here's a info dump of all the differences between this and the LCD one that I could find:<p>64 and 512GB LED models are dead<p>Wi-Fi 6E<p>10Whr more battery<p>it's a larger display. 7.4" vs 7"<p>6nm APU vs 7nm<p>256GB LCD now $399 (INSANE price)<p>30-50% more battery<p>screen resolution is the same<p>just OLED + HDR<p>1000 nits peak/600 typical vs 400 typical<p>90hz refresh rate<p>"high performance touch"<p>dual ambient light sensors<p>640 grams vs 669 grams<p>deck dock now $20 less<p>limited edition color way available too
Strange to be using Wifi 6 when Wifi 7 is right at the door. They could've waited a bit more and made something that has 4x the bandwidth over Wifi 6E.