Why the Steam Deck OLED is the perfect gateway to PC gaming

The Steam Deck OLED is more than just one of the best handheld games consoles on the market, it also serves as the best way for people to get into PC gaming. Armed with a stunning display, console-quality controls, and an easy to use operating system, this machine breaks down many of the barriers which could alienate people from all the perks of the platform. Let’s get into it. 

I’ll preface by saying that I’ve been a PC gamer for around 10 years, having gotten my start with component hardware with the likes of the GTX 970 and the Intel Core i7-4790K. We’ve come a long way from those days now; four successor graphics card generations and a staggering 10 CPU generations since then. Back then, it was impossible to think we would one day be natively playing these games in our hands, but now with the Steam Deck OLED, it’s very much a reality. 

I touch upon components because we’re currently in an age of the best graphics cards and the best CPUs for gaming. You’ve got two choices if you’re looking to build a moderately powerful machine nowadays, the RTX 40-series or the AMD RX 7000 line, but even the most mainstream options don’t exactly come cheap. For the most basic GPUs, capable of outputting 1080p at 60fps, you’re looking at spending around $299 / £289 for an RTX 4060 or $269 / £249 for an RX 7600. 

That’s before tallying up the price of your CPU on top, then there’s the motherboard, RAM, case, storage, OS, and before long you’re looking at spending around $900 / £900 if you’re economical with your parts or find a good prebuilt gaming PC deal. There’s also been the barrier of price to overcome when building or buying a rig for gaming and it’s something I know all too well. I’ve built three systems in 10 years all of which have used components I could afford. While I’m fortunate now to have an RTX 4090 and an AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D CPU, the bleeding edge, this isn’t the reality for the vast majority of PC gamers. 

The competitive pricing of the Steam Deck OLED

The pricing of the Steam Deck OLED is one of its best assets even when compared to other handheld gaming PCs that occupy the same space. The base model armed with a 512GB NVMe SSD starts at $549 with the 1TB model retailing for $649. This is substantially cheaper than the recently released Lenovo Legion Go and competitive given the ASUS ROG Ally’s recent price drops. 

For your money, the Steam Deck OLED comes equipped with a 7.4-inch touchscreen with the panel type of its namesake and is armed with a custom AMD APU with RNDA 2 graphics and 16GB LPDDR5 RAM. It features a resolution of 1280×800 which on a display of that size, and given the HDR and peak brightness of 1000 nits, looks really crisp and clean. The unit runs on SteamOS which is a customized Linux overlay, and makes navigating in gaming mode feel like a menu from the PS5 or Xbox Series X. There are no intimidating launchers or things you have to worry about if you want a smooth sailing experience. 

A major leg up that Valve has over its rivals is the Steam Deck verification process. Every single game available on the Steam storefront displays its verification status which indicates a thoroughly tested experience with settings made optimally for the Steam Deck’s native resolution and hardware. In fact, many games such as Cyberpunk 2077, have specific setting profiles made for the Deck, which means you can also get around another frustration of PC gaming – optimization. 

There are literally thousands of games across the digital distribution platform that are Steam Deck verified and you can check out the full list here. They include heavy hitters that you would find on console such as Street Fighter 6, Elden Ring, Horizon Zero Dawn, The Last of Us Part 1, Dead Space (2023), and Diablo 4. Unlike with the Nintendo Switch’s more recent multi-platform releases, these aren’t heavily scaled down versions of console games, but the fully fledged experiences you would find on home consoles playable on a handheld. What’s more, once they’re on your account, and you do decide to get a desktop PC, they’ll be there waiting for you without having to buy the versions again. 

Portability is king

I touched upon the Nintendo Switch just now, and the truth is that while I love the form factor of this system and have owned one for many years, I don’t personally feel the hardware is strong enough to keep up with the demands of current-generation gaming. We’ve gone into it already here at VideoGamer as we’ve argued it’s time for the Nintendo Switch 2 already, but this isn’t a pitfall you’ll face with the Steam Deck OLED, at least not any time soon. Games are being optimized and verified with the original model’s base hardware in mind, and that’s unlikely to change given the hardware’s thriving commercial and critical success. 

As well as being a cheaper and more accessible way to play PC games, the Steam Deck OLED also brings a level of portability that you won’t get from even the best gaming laptops. I’ve owned and reviewed dozens of traditional portable powerhouses and while they’re capable of pumping out stellar visuals with a pleasing design, I recommend a dedicated handheld to most people instead nowadays. That’s because a laptop can get incredibly hot and loud under stress, something that isn’t a factor with this particular handheld, at worst, it’ll get a little warm when plugged in for hours on end, but won’t sound like it’s taking off on you. 

Since I’ve owned the Steam Deck OLED I’ve found that I’ve had a lot more time for gaming than when I was confined to my desk at the gaming PC or even kicking back on the sofa with the PS5. Its handheld nature means I can keep it by the bed when work’s done and I want to get a few hours of play in before I go to sleep. It’s also handy enough to throw into a bag and have on me when I’m in transit armed with its USB-C charger, and a far better experience than trying to play mobile phone games on a touchscreen to pass the time. 

Recently I’ve even started chipping away at my extensive backlog and finishing games that I couldn’t dedicate the time to from my behemoth of a gaming PC. Only recently I finished a second run of Fallout: New Vegas and have pumped some serious hours into Mafia: Definitive Edition, OTXO, Metal Gear Rising Revengeance, and have even given The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim another shot. Having the convenience of playing PC games anywhere has given me the freedom to enjoy games again without being shackled in the way that a desktop or a laptop can, and I think you’ll really appreciate that aspect about it, too.

The Steam Deck OLED is a PC, after all

It would be amiss of me to close out without mentioning the Steam Deck OLED’s full capabilities as a gaming PC. Yes, the game overlay works well but that’s only one side of the story. Thanks to its Linux operating system, you have full reign to install all manner of software you want on it. This could be other game launchers or programs to expand your gaming experience, too. The core desktop mode works incredibly well thanks to the dual touchpads which are like having a laptop’s trackpad mounted on each side.

Then there’s its capabilities of being used with a Steam Dock for Nintendo Switch-like functionality. You can go from the small screen to a bigger one. Valve sells its own version for with all the ports you need for $79, however, some third party companies may have options cheaper. Amazon has many Steam Deck docks on sale if you want the hybrid experience. It’ll pair best with one of the best gaming keyboards and the best gaming mouse.

You can install browsers such as Firefox and Google Chrome and then are free to enjoy video playback and get creative with what the device can do between gaming sessions. It’s these moments with the Steam Deck OLED that I think really help to elevate above just another gaming system. Valve has given us the freedom to do whatever we want with the hardware without locking anything away, and that’s what PC gaming is all about.