The Steam Deck OLED
Friday, December 27, 2024
I nabbed a refurbished 512 GB OLED model Steam Deck last week. As soon as I saw the OLED models were now available at refurbished prices, I had to try it. From everything I’ve read elsewhere, the refurbished prices are phenomenal value.
The Hardware
I don’t know if I lucked out with mine, but it’s in perfect condition. No scratches or scuffs, not even on the included carrying case. Speaking of the case — it’s nice, even if the charger nook on the back seems designed by someone who’s never seen an Irish plug in their life.
I was a little blown away when I held it for the first time. There was zero flex or twist in the chassis and no creaking plastic The buttons are satisfying, as are the triggers and joysticks. The OLED screen is stunning — from what I’ve seen online, it’s a gigantic leap over the older LCD screen.
Performance & Gaming
It’s not going to set any speed records, but at 800p on that compact screen, it really doesn’t need to. I’ve been having a blast with Spider-Man Remastered and going a little easier with LA Noire. Both run surprisingly well for what’s essentially a fancy Linux tablet.
Speaking of Linux — coming from Fedora (yes, I’m one of those “bye Windows” people), SteamOS in desktop mode is a little finicky. KDE wouldn’t be my choice, especially on a small touchscreen. The dual trackpads work great navigating around though, and really once I set up EmuDeck I haven’t been back in desktop mode.
The Emulation Situation
I tried some Switch games, but I don’t know why. Nintendo games were never my thing. But PS2 emulation? That’s where this thing shines. I’ve been replaying Simpsons Hit & Run (objectively the greatest game ever made, I will die on this hill) and it’s perfect. Breath of the Wild and Mario Wonder, on the other hand… BOTW is just about unplayable and Mario runs anywhere from 30 to 60 fps, but never settles.
The Verdict
I’ve been playing more games lately than I have in ages. Whether that’s because the Steam Deck is actually good or because I’m justifying the purchase to myself is still up for debate. Ask me in 6 months (Looking at you, Quest 3).
Is it worth it? If you can snag a refurbished model like I did, absolutely. Just don’t expect it to replace your gaming PC, unless your PC is from 2015, in which case it probably would be an upgrade.
What’s Next?
Probably another 47 hours of tweaking settings to get that one game running perfectly, followed by never actually playing it. You know, the usual.
But hey, at least now I have something to do in between moving from the big screen to the smaller small screen at bedtime.