Steam Deck LCD review (2023): Still one of the best handheld PCs
25.11.2023 - 15:21
/ engadget.com
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/ Deck
I legitimately feel bad for anyone who bought a Steam Deck right before Valve’s surprise reveal of the new and improved OLED model. The announcement came out of nowhere and the Steam Deck OLED is a better version of the LCD original, at roughly the same price point. So, I understand why the r/SteamDeck forum was immediately flooded with new owners lamenting their life choices. To these people, and to anyone with the debut hardware, I want to make it perfectly clear: The Steam Deck LCD is one of the best handheld PCs on the market.
Valve still thinks it’s pretty good, too. The company is continuing to sell the 256GB LCD version of the Steam Deck at a reduced price of $399, with two OLED models above it. This is the review for people eyeing Valve’s entry-level handheld, and for any original Steam Deck owners who could use a little reassurance these days. (It’s OK, buddy.)
My review of the Steam Deck in February 2022 started with a delirious metaphor: “The Steam Deck is what happens when the Vita and the Wii U get drunk on Linux and make a big baby together.” Nearly two years later, I stand by this sentiment completely. The Steam Deck is portable and it supports multiple input methods, much like the Vita, but it’s so bulky that it never leaves my house, just like ye olde Wii U. It also natively runs Steam, which is a massive boon for players who value ease-of-use.
The 256GB Steam Deck is powerful enough to run most Steam games, even AAA titles like Elden Ring, Armored Core VI and Cyberpunk 2077. It has a custom 7nm AMD APU, 16GB of fast RAM, a 40Whr battery, and a 7-inch, 800p LCD with a max refresh rate of 60Hz. The handheld offers a peak brightness of 400 nits, which is about the same as the Switch OLED.
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The Steam Deck LCD performs like a champ. Visually striking games like The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, Dave the Diver and Rollerdrome look and play beautifully on the display. It has its limitations: blacks aren’t quite as black as they could be, and dark backgrounds stand out from the bezels with a gray tinge. The Steam Deck LCD’s constrained color gamut is perceptible, but it isn’t tragic, and it's not even a consideration in the heat of a good game.
Alongside standard dual-analog inputs, the 256GB Steam Deck has a touchscreen, two haptic pads on either side of the display and four back-panel buttons that have a nice, bassy click. I tend to play indie games, generally ranging in size from 200MB to 80GB, and I currently have 22 titles installed on my Deck, with