It’s not an entirely new console - the design is almost exactly the same - but it’s the small refresh the Steam Deck needed to keep it ahead of a growing list of competitors. Perhaps sensing that the device was right on the cusp of greatness, Valve dropped a major surprise last week when it revealed the new Steam Deck OLED. And yet, I slowly found that I couldn’t imagine traveling without it with each passing day. A massive form factor, poor battery, and inconsistent game compatibility made the device feel like a rough draft of a great idea. When the device finally dropped in February 2022, a lot of my concerns were initially justified. The idea of a device that played my PC games on the go sounded incredible on paper, but I was left wondering if the idea could deliver on those aspirations.
Ever since the Steam Deck was an implausible rumor, I’ve viewed Valve’s experimental handheld with a lot of skepticism.
