The Steam Deck is easily one of my favorite gaming purchases of the last few years, quickly replacing the Switch as my handheld of choice and making me feel better about buying my games for PC, since I know I’ll still be able to play them portably when I want.
And yet, I'm not without a bit of buyer’s remorse. That’s because just a little over a year after the original Steam Deck released, Valve followed it up with the Steam Deck OLED, which looks extra crisp and offers more battery life. I haven’t quite been able to justify the upgrade, since my current Steam Deck runs just fine, but thanks to the new Steam Deck OLED refurbished program, you can now buy s Steam Deck OLED for a mere $40 more than a brand new LCD model.
Valve announced today that it is now selling two certified refurbished versions of the Steam Deck OLED, one with 512GB of storage and another with 1TB of capacity. Sales are currently open to buyers in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and the E.U. As of this writing, OLED is actually the only way to get a refurbished Steam Deck from Valve, as the cheaper refurbished LCD models are out of stock (they can go for as little as $279 when they’re available).
While I don’t personally own a Steam Deck OLED, I have used one, and I can say the upgrade is well worth it, especially if you don’t already own a Steam Deck. The OLED model doesn’t see much of a performance increase, relying largely on the same internals but with slightly faster RAM, but its screen is so much better you’ll feel like the graphics have taken a generational leap. Plus, the battery is 10 Whr larger, making the notoriously power hungry handheld last 1 - 4 hours longer, depending on what you’re playing.
By buying a used OLED Steam Deck for just a little bit more than what a new LCD model costs, you do have to make a few compromises. Valve promises that certified refurbished devices need to pass “over 100 tests” before they ship out and that they all “meet or even exceed the performance standards” of new units, but that they may come with some “minor cosmetic blemishes.” Still, your purchase will include a new carrying case and the same one-year warranty as a new Steam Deck, although its power supply will be refurbished.
At time of writing, both refurbished Steam Deck OLED options are in stock, with the 512GB variant going for $439 and the 1TB model hitting $519. That puts your discount for not buying new at between $110 and $130, depending on which one you go for. It’s a stupid good deal.
