I agree! I literally sold my desktop to a family member because I found myself not using my steam deck enough. Now i use it for my desktop and handheld and I am loving every bit of it!
@@Bigsabbyou could buy a dock and use it as a portable pc from my understanding, I’d assume that you could but I don’t have my hands on the device yet.
As someone who actually sold their Steam Deck OLED for a Legion Go, I acknowledged that the OLED is the best device for probably 95% of people - it’s just fantastic and the best “pick up and play” device on the market, with very little downside. I personally enjoy the large screen and windows on the legion go (which is why I traded it out) but for most people, you cannot possibly go wrong with the oled.
i never touch any of my decks.. and believe me i have 5 of them (dont know why :P) i always use legion go nowadays...not even my rog ally... cant go back to the small screen and perfomance of deck...never...
@@ninjameep8616 windows is more something that I can stomach due to compatibility with game pass native on the go - it’s definitely not an optimal experience. I vastly prefer SteamOS and the simplicity of it.
I have a LCD steam deck and I have been in love with the fact that I can play games that I love to play at my desk anywhere I want now. I do wish Destiny 2 was usable within steam os and not have to dual boot off an external ssd like I am but, at least I still have that option for when I want to do some strikes while in bed and not have to go to my game room for it. I just bought the Master Chief Collection because it was on sale for $9.99 and I cannot believe that one of the best games that existed while I was growing up is now portable and somehow runs at 60fps with no hiccups. I am going to play through all the campaigns just like I did when I was a kid!
I just ordered an OLED Deck, this video was very helpful. My tv (I got it almost two years ago) is also an LGC1. I agree it's the best tv I've ever had, first time seeing what an OLED screen is in person, amazing color accuracy, sharpness, clarity. OLED is literally what I always imagined tv could be in terms of display presentation, even more enjoyable for video gaming.
For a casual gamer who started playing video games using the Nintendo Famicom, Nintendo Super Famicom, Ps1, Ps2.. Steamdeck pulled me out of my gamer hibernation and I'm extremely overjoyed to be able to play retro games, triple AAA games. I know its gonna be a while before the Steamdeck 2 will come out, but I'm looking forward to it.
I've had my LCD Deck for a little over a month now, I'm in love with it all besides the battery and screen... Considering upgrading soon, FOMO is hitting hard.
If you mainly want to play Steam games this is the PERFECT device. However a lot of PC games requiring Anti-Cheat limits it heavily. For me if you can game on PC you can easily game on a Windows handheld. The ROG Ally X sits atop of the mountain. It's a fantastic time to be a gamer with all the options available.
The steam deck can't play all steam games, NOT even close so how's that the perfect device for this?? Btw, the other devices play ALL steam Soo easily with NO problems ever.
my problem with windows is its just jank as hell on deck. it was also really bad on the legion go. i have a beefy desktop for playing with friends and anti cheat games.
@@BigWisperlenovo and ally x never give customers rigths buying him today and seeing rog ally XL tomorrow haha steam deck just like Playstation he will be in 2022-2027 and still with updates to 2030
@@thomaszinecker1785 But can the Lenovo also be used as a weapon of last resort in the event of armed burglars? I dropped the deck on my face and my nose still hurts two days later. Already have kids so jokes on you Darwin!
I have mine for almost 2 weeks and I like this thing a lot and the feature of custom controls with gyro, touchpads and performance per game, is a thing that is not available on the other devices. I wanted a console-like experience without the hassle of windows (as I have with my gaming laptop, not always just sit and play). I do like the Oled screen with HDR support and it plays my games well. I don't have much of a library on the launchers on PC as I do on my PS5 (mainly console gaming as it is convenient), but now I have Steam with frequent deals and I got to customize it like I did with my PSP, custom sounds, can change the cover art of games, themes and the good old startup animations (had Bioshock Infinite on PSP game startups). I almost got the Legion Go, but the cons of it having it a louder fan, too heavy for my wrists in handheld and that it is windows, but then the Steam Deck stood out and I don't regret the Oled since it's my first Deck.
How do you feel about the SD's 7.4" screen size? Has it ever turned you off? Do the characters in third-person view seem too small compared to your gaming laptop? I'm used to playing on my 15.6" laptop, and have been trying to imagine playing games on a screen half the size of that but you seem like the right person to ask since you own a gaming laptop yourself
I own both gaming laptop and a deck OLED the screen is a great size for me I hardly use my gaming laptop except to stream to my deck. The screen is a perfect size for a portable gaming system. The deck is my favorite gaming item I've ever owned. Edit to add at new years there were lots of posts to the song of I own a 2000 dollar gaming PC but played 100 percent of my gaming time on my deck last year. I was in market for new gaming laptop and tried to convince my two sons to each get a deck so all three of us could play together. But they wanted the laptop.
@hameerz I thought it would be a downgrade, but since I also have the Nintendo Switch LCD, I didn't notice the big change for gaming. The fact that it has the Oled and HDR (some games) sometimes got me to stop for a moment after completing a mission and just realize that I am gaming on a handheld and it looks beautiful. I am playing Just Cause 3 on High 45fps 90hz without any issue, Warframe looking good too and so on. I also like to not sit at the desk a lot since I do that at my job, so this display is big enough to play the games without a struggle and it also has a magnify mode with Steam button and L1 if reading some is a struggle or usefull if you want to check someting in game where the zoom helps.
After daily driving both, I have to say the Steam Deck OLED is the way to go. The console-like approach is much more accessible for everyone, and Valve offers impeccable customer service. There's something about Valve's secret sauce at 15 watts that makes a noticeable difference. Compared to the ROG Ally, running at 15 watts, the Steam Deck absolutely outperforms it. Windows UI is also problematic in a handheld form factor. If you're not tech-savvy and want to avoid PC troubleshooting, steer clear of the ROG Ally. Personally, I've had to reimage it twice to fix multiple issues, not to mention I had to send in for RMA for right stick drift. In contrast, I've encountered no technical issues with my Steam Deck (whether it's LCD or OLED). What people need to remember is that numbers on paper don't always translate to real-world performance in the handheld PC market. I made the mistake of choosing the ROG Ally thinking it would outperform the Deck. However, I quickly discovered that its SOC isn't as power-efficient as the Van Gogh SOC in the Deck, leading to significant battery drain when pushing the ROG Ally at 30 watts.
I don't think that should be accurate. At 15w the ROG posts better numbers in games. The Steam deck performes really well around 8-10w but past 12w every other modern handheld leaves it in the dust.
I do have a deck and the Win Mini, running almost the same chip as the Ally....the mini is pushing 10fps higher or more in most games at the same render resolution as the deck at 15w tdp. The deck outperforms it between 6w and 11w though. It's only past 12 where the Mini really picks up. And at 18w and the same render resolution its easily doing 20+ more fps than the deck..... Your Ally might have been a lemon
@@Whatsup_Abroad oh you’re right i misspoke. I meant 10 w tdp lol. But even so the battery drain just sucks on the ally. Those meteor lake chips are not power efficient.
So cool seeing another producer going all in on the deck! Was feeling bad for turning my back on my mpc live ll and op-1 for a short time, but seeing your video made me feel like it's ok to do so😬My oled just got here last week too and damn am I hooked. Never owned an lcd version or even a switch, so i'm new to the whole handheld thing. Last one was something like a game boy advance or something like that, lol. But I know a classic device when I feel one. Absolutely agree with you, best one for a longtime!
I bought an LCD Steam Deck from Valve. Loved it. Broke it. Bought a Steam Deck OLED from Valve. Loved it. Lost it... I WILL DEFINITELY BE BUYING ANOTHER STEAM DECK OLED because I absolutely LOVE the portability of it. Nothing beats it💯
I totally agree with OLED... I love OLED, got OLED monitors, TV, handhelds, and when I go back to some LCD for a reason or another, I see a huge difference. Black not being totally black is the biggest. I can't go back. I need OLED or I eventually gave up when it's LCD
Tbh i started with a steam deck and after 6 months sold it for the ally rog. I didn’t want to like it at the start however it won me over and I sold the steam deck. Battery wise it’s now up there with the deck due to adjustable fan curves. I’m now getting the ally x and could never return back to the deck again especially with an 80w battery and 24gb ram. I also used the deck with ableton, protools and battery life was rock solid especially on an external monitor.
I still have a deal with the steam deck.User system Windows 11 is a headache.I have the original ally.I lie and I hate it dealing with windows now.I got a steam deck and i'm so happy
Been using SD LCD, SD Oled, Nintendo Switch OLED, RoG Ally, and Legion Go, but I always came back for SD Oled. The display, battery life just too noice.
Just perusing your vids. Your interests mirror mine greatly. I just got the Deck and I was watching this to feel good about my purchase :) Keep them coming! Thx
Thanks for putting this together, it takes work to do for sure, great job! I like hearing about and learning about all of the different devices. I got the ROG Ally X for the same price as a Steam Deck OLED and really like it. Wanted to try the Steam Deck but Best Buy doesn’t sell it and I get all of my stuff from them as I get extended warranty at no extra cost. I love that I can play any of my games on the go now.
Thanks for watching! The Ally X seems like it solves a lot of my issues with the OG, especially battery life. I still really couldn't vibe with windows on a handheld vs the smoothness of SteamOS, but i'm glad it's working well for you!
Just wait until you try VRR ally or the beautiful large Lgo, you can't pick up the steam deck again SO do yourself a huge favor and don't spoil yourself by trying the Ally or Lgo
For years, I was scared the Vita was going to be the best handheld gaming console we’d ever see, then the Switch came out, and now I have the Deck OLED. Just wish I could play Honkai Star Rail and Wuthering Waves on it.
@@thomaszinecker1785 I built a $2200 gaming/streaming PC two years ago, my dude. I bought this knowing what I was getting into and still like the thing.
I have a couple handhelds and the steam deck oled is still my go-to device. The windows handhelds just have so many more random issues mainly due to the platform itself. ASUS, and the other manufacturers have decent software to help, but it's still an OS developed for keyboard and mouse.
As someone who owns the switch, switch lite and steam deck… I prefer the switch lite the most. I never realized how much the form factor mattered to me. I’d pick my miyoo mini as 2nd fav. handheld right now. I end up playing most of my steam games on my pc.
Suspend feature is good but rinses the battery. I'd love to see a steam console unit which you could port around the house from pc monitor to TV. A 4k 60 fps steam console would be amazing.
Imo at least double the performance (GPU wise) with 50% or so better single core IPC with 4-16 hours of playing time would be a worthwhile upgrade target. Imo keeping it to 4 cores would be ideal since its a linux based system you save a lot on overhead and for gaming you don't really need more cores especially with 60hz gaming (which is what they should be targeting for power efficiency sake).
For me Steam Deck OLED being the best *overall* handheld. Its like pretty good in every category. - The specs are not the best, but its very close to Ally Z1 Extreme in gaming (on handheld mode) - Battery life its probably the best out there for a handheld, only beaten by a Switch. But Switch's performance is _far_ worse. - 90hz with no VRR support maybe turn off for some, but its an OLED display. - Long term support from Valve - Good price (not too expensive like some of the other Windows based handhelds) With the ROG Ally X coming out very soon, I'm not sure how will the SD Oled will fare, but its going to have more ram and double battery life over original Z1.
I have both and love my SteamDeck OLED, however it's not close to the Z1 extreme in gaming. In fact a lot of games won't even run on it, or if they do not as well.
@@DylanParisMusic That's exactly what I was thinking about doing. I currently have an OLED Switch, and I'm seriously considering selling it, and pilfering the 512GB micro SD that I have in it.
I got a rog ally resolution and VRR are the main reason but its all personal preference on what you need/want get what fits your needs better there both good.
Doesn't it have the second slowest frame rate only beating the MSI Claw? I use my Steam Deck OLED far less than my Ally. I know its a personal preference but I would choice VRR over my Steam Deck's OLED screen. I just ordered the Ally X a few days ago as well with a 4TB NVME. If it performs the way I expect I plan to sell both my Steam Deck OLED and Rog Ally on Ebay within a month.
I think right now I would go with the rog ally x. It comes down to power. Steam deck just doesn't hold up with some of the newer games. Having said that I totally agree that OLED screen and steamdeck user experience is better. My rog ally has been solid, i dont mind windows and it looks like they fixed everything on the X. Im gonna wait hold on to my ally for now but if steam releases a more powerful deck ill be picking it up.
I was gonna pull a joke from that Bad Lip Reading Yoda and Luke video where Yoda sings about seagulls. But then I realized you mentioned the ROG Ally, so I decided to not use the joke.
Depends what you use it for. Gaming in handheld mode at home? Steam Deck all day. Gaming on the go, like my daily train ride to work : Switch Lite in my opinion. Weighs nothing, fits in my bag and has some nice rpg's to enjoy like octopath traveler 2, sea of stars and the upcoming Dragon quest 3 remake.
For what I want in a handheld absolutely. Others who are okay with windows finickiness, 3 different places to update software and a general lack of smoothness in user experience in exchange for higher resolution but less high quality contrast, smaller, and no hdr support (but with vrr) and more performance gains in modern AAA titles, they would prefer the Ally X
I have the first gen, waiting for gen3 before I update as I'm happy with it as is. Only complaint will always be SSDs are too expensive and too small compared to HDDs and games are ridiculously large and my gaming ADD gets annoyed when I have to download/manage instead of just add things
Definitely something I feel like the OLED improves, installing on my half terabyte micro sd is wayyyy faster for some reason on the OLED vs the original. Might be WiFi 6 or the reader being faster, not sure!
Honestly the steam deck is great if you're already a pc gamer and have a steam library full of games. If you're a console player you can get cheaper devices that will stream your console perfectly.
Dylan, I know you just put out this tech content for fun, but knowing your channel, I gotta ask, have you ran ableton? Have you tried any music software? I have a pipe dream of taking a Maschine mk3 and a steam deck to the gig, haven’t a clue how that would work out. Cheers
I haven’t run Ableton on any of the handhelds I’ve used cause the screens are pretty small and the battery life would probably not be great. I wouldn’t do the deck cause you’d be running Ableton over an emulation layer if it installs at all, but the ROG ally might work? That said I’d say go for a small macbook or windows laptop over a gaming handheld for music stuff. But that’s just me! It could be a good option for you?
@@DylanParisMusic yeah my laptop works fine, it’s just the hacker in me searching for cool. Of course you would build projects elsewhere, just use the handheld for load and play. As a result of your vid I’ve just been reading about Pipewire, interesting times ahead. Thanks for reply.
@@DylanParisMusic Not an "emulation" layer, but a translation layer. Performance difference is negligable. If you're able to run it on WINE, you can run it on linux.
I think it depends on what you’re used to. For handhelds I’m used to playing on my Switch LCD and remote playing PS5 & Xbox on my iPhone 13 Pro with a backbone. So as far as handhelds go, to me the screen seems massive and I’ve been obsessed with my Deck Oled since I got it.
I'm in a similar place as wootenjames where this feels huge to me vs the other devices i've used. the weight and size trade off plus dealing with windows hassle and not being able to really use the full resolution of the legion screen are all too big of deal breakers for me to consider the Go, but could be worth trying one to see if you like it?
@@ImUrZaddythis is what I’m thinking. I’m mostly into indie games and emulation so the SD OLED is all I will need. AAA games don’t really appeal to me as much. I would rather watch their gameplay since they seem like a movie rather than a game. Pixelated graphics are my favorite so with the lower performance requirements the SD OLED’s better screen and lower price point appeal to me. Plus the trackpad seems like a dope physical feature to try to implement.
I have a LCD Deck that I have installed Bazzite on and have decided that it is mainly going to be used for PS1, PS2 and PSP emulation. I do most of my game playing on my OLED Deck (still on SteamOS, but once Bazzite fully supports it, I will switch). I have been using Linux desktops since the mid 2000's and been gaming on them a couple years before the original Steam Machines launched (Wine kind worked for a couple of my games). I am so thankful Value has been working with CodeWeavers on Proton. The Steam Deck is the gaming device I have always wanted and I am very happy with it. I am still looking forward to a proper new controller, new Steam Machines and the next Deck as well. Happy gaming!
it has the perfect balance between price and performance. No handheld should price similarly to a gaming laptop which is why the rog ally and lenovo go make no sense for me
I've got the steamdeck oled for indie games and the rog ally for "bigger" games. In total i like the rog ally a lot more and i think i will sell my steamdeck. The reasons are: Better Hybrid support. You can plug it in your monitor or tv and you can play all your games in 1080p without problems. On the steamdeck you can only play with 800p (this is too less pixels for a bigger screen) or you must quit the game, change to desktop mode and then you can enable 1080p. But most games can't run with 1080p on the steamdeck. Better performance: Every big new game runs on my ally with 18 watt 1080p upscaling with 40 fps or more. A lot of games can't handle 30 fps on the steamdeck. I like the windows software more than steamdeck os. For me, the steamdeck os had much more problems than windows. For example is the standby time very terrible on the steamdeck. In one night the steamdeck looses 10 % in standby mode. Windows maybe 1 %.
Saying the Steam Deck is the best is ballsy when the GPD Win Mini exists, has 120hz variable refresh rate, 2 usb c, a usb A, is more powerful, has a full keyboard and mouse, and is small enough to fit in your back pocket.
This is a portable device with limitations you all won't appreciate if you owned one. I recommend you stick to PS4, PS5, or Xbox for those kind of games you mentioned. PC if you can afford it.
I loved my ally z1e way more than my steam deck hell i even like my odin 2 more than my steam deck i think the ally x will be the best handheld overall cant wait for mine
I have the legion and it does the same thing when turn off then on it take you right to we're you left off. Steam deck oled was my other option but I love the windows platform
It's a matter of preference. The big question you should ask is what games do you want to play? I don't really play COD or a lot of multiplayer games so the Steam Deck was a good choice for me. If I wanted to, I don't mind putting Windows on it. I think that's the big question because either device is essentially a PC. Like a desktop or laptop, there's always a possibility that you're gonna have to do some tinkering to get things to work properly.
@CallMeMilenko like,from what I gathered,since the steamdeck has it's own OS and shit,backed by Steam itself there should be a lot of games ready to go and fine tuned to fire up on the console. On the other hand,the Ally (and others) and just regular Windows and some games might not fire up immediately or are poorly optimized? More like Android (like the wild west) vs Ios (more focused and optimized where 8GB means much more than in other devices). I dunno what I would be playing,but if it was today, it would be Hades 2, No Rest for the Wicked (when I get it), Baldurs Gate 3... Also,can the Ally run music production programs? Since it's Windows :D
You won't understand how much of a downside Windows is on a handheld until you try it for yourself. The Steam Deck is second to none when it comes to being a gaming handheld, the rest are just copy cats with off the shelf laptop CPUs.
In my opinion absolutely. The OLED screen is better, the OS is smoother and actually designed for the hardware, and the quality of life overall with updates and target specs is better. There are others who prefer the Ally so they’ll likely prefer the X, more power to them!
@@DylanParisMusic yh u need power simple as that, without power the machine can't play newer games. Have you got Ally x yet to compare. I'm still thinking about it thanks
There's steam games that don't require Internet connection.. mostly older titles tho. It can emulate most consoles so if you can get your hands on some roms, you're good to go.
The Steam deck is almost 3 years old it's better out there being the best is subjective and personal to each user. I wouldn't recommend a 3-year-old product knowing how fast technology moves.
Yeah, but if you buy the Steam Deck because you hate Win11, but want to play D2 or CoD, etc , you have to dual boot with Win11 and STILL have to deal with updates.
14 people in the dislikes angry that their warranty on their Ally was terminated because they bumped the shell incorrectly. For context, I'm typing this on a system with an Asus motherboard. But I'll never buy another Asus after their RMA BS
As nice as it may be, it's already old tech and lacking in power. Good for indie and some older games but not an option for recent games. Valve should launch a much more powerful SD3 as soon as possible or they'll become obsolete.
I'd be beyond honored if you checked out my music here! hyperfollow.com/dylanparis
Yes thank you algorithm keep feeding me the confirmation bias after buying my own deck OLED and itching for it to arrive
I had to contribute to the algorithm pool after watching hours of OLED videos before I bought it 🤣
Same 🥹
You are gonna love it had my LCD since release and upgraded to OLED day one too, the device is unreal!!!
Had my own for a few weeks now and I think it’s the best gaming device I have ever owned. Excited for ya!
@@donebk Just wait for the summer sale, probably some % off
I agree! I literally sold my desktop to a family member because I found myself not using my steam deck enough. Now i use it for my desktop and handheld and I am loving every bit of it!
Does it run adobe Photoshop or premier pro
can i have ur deck for free
@@Bigsabbyou could buy a dock and use it as a portable pc from my understanding, I’d assume that you could but I don’t have my hands on the device yet.
As someone who actually sold their Steam Deck OLED for a Legion Go, I acknowledged that the OLED is the best device for probably 95% of people - it’s just fantastic and the best “pick up and play” device on the market, with very little downside.
I personally enjoy the large screen and windows on the legion go (which is why I traded it out) but for most people, you cannot possibly go wrong with the oled.
Windows is the main reason why i wont touch anything else but the steam deck
I dont even use windows on my desktop and god im so much happier
i never touch any of my decks.. and believe me i have 5 of them (dont know why :P) i always use legion go nowadays...not even my rog ally... cant go back to the small screen and perfomance of deck...never...
@@ninjameep8616 windows is more something that I can stomach due to compatibility with game pass native on the go - it’s definitely not an optimal experience. I vastly prefer SteamOS and the simplicity of it.
You can install either Windows or Bazzite Linux on any of these PC handhelds.
Is your opinion still the same after using the Lenovo legion Go for a while?
I have a LCD steam deck and I have been in love with the fact that I can play games that I love to play at my desk anywhere I want now. I do wish Destiny 2 was usable within steam os and not have to dual boot off an external ssd like I am but, at least I still have that option for when I want to do some strikes while in bed and not have to go to my game room for it. I just bought the Master Chief Collection because it was on sale for $9.99 and I cannot believe that one of the best games that existed while I was growing up is now portable and somehow runs at 60fps with no hiccups. I am going to play through all the campaigns just like I did when I was a kid!
I got the MCC on that sale too, such a good deal!
Sd lcd was the future of pc gaming gba style
I just ordered an OLED Deck, this video was very helpful. My tv (I got it almost two years ago) is also an LGC1. I agree it's the best tv I've ever had, first time seeing what an OLED screen is in person, amazing color accuracy, sharpness, clarity. OLED is literally what I always imagined tv could be in terms of display presentation, even more enjoyable for video gaming.
For a casual gamer who started playing video games using the Nintendo Famicom, Nintendo Super Famicom, Ps1, Ps2.. Steamdeck pulled me out of my gamer hibernation and I'm extremely overjoyed to be able to play retro games, triple AAA games. I know its gonna be a while before the Steamdeck 2 will come out, but I'm looking forward to it.
I've had my LCD Deck for a little over a month now, I'm in love with it all besides the battery and screen... Considering upgrading soon, FOMO is hitting hard.
If you mainly want to play Steam games this is the PERFECT device. However a lot of PC games requiring Anti-Cheat limits it heavily. For me if you can game on PC you can easily game on a Windows handheld. The ROG Ally X sits atop of the mountain. It's a fantastic time to be a gamer with all the options available.
The steam deck can't play all steam games, NOT even close so how's that the perfect device for this?? Btw, the other devices play ALL steam Soo easily with NO problems ever.
my problem with windows is its just jank as hell on deck. it was also really bad on the legion go. i have a beefy desktop for playing with friends and anti cheat games.
Love the oled. I couldn’t even consider Rog because of the lack of touch pads. I play a lot of strategy games that need the trackpads
What about Lenovo Legion Go? It has a mouse. Kinda.
Lenovo definitely better for you
@@ZekalFour It's just a basic trackpad. It's not customizable at all like the Deck trackpads.
@@Moskeeto it has a detachable controller that serves as a mouse.
@@BigWisperlenovo and ally x never give customers rigths buying him today and seeing rog ally XL tomorrow haha steam deck just like Playstation he will be in 2022-2027 and still with updates to 2030
As a Dad the suspend state makes the Steam Deck a must have compared to all the other PC handhelds. Something needs my attention no problem.
Yes. The steam deck is perfect for adult life. It is a life changer
@@_Executor_ makes the wife happier for sure.
The Lenovo does that all the same without rinsing your sDeck's battery.
@@thomaszinecker1785 But can the Lenovo also be used as a weapon of last resort in the event of armed burglars? I dropped the deck on my face and my nose still hurts two days later. Already have kids so jokes on you Darwin!
@desertmammoth3159 the Lenovo is heavier (ive had the 512 lcd deck since launch, my friend just bought the Lenovo when he was in town last week)
I have mine for almost 2 weeks and I like this thing a lot and the feature of custom controls with gyro, touchpads and performance per game, is a thing that is not available on the other devices. I wanted a console-like experience without the hassle of windows (as I have with my gaming laptop, not always just sit and play). I do like the Oled screen with HDR support and it plays my games well. I don't have much of a library on the launchers on PC as I do on my PS5 (mainly console gaming as it is convenient), but now I have Steam with frequent deals and I got to customize it like I did with my PSP, custom sounds, can change the cover art of games, themes and the good old startup animations (had Bioshock Infinite on PSP game startups).
I almost got the Legion Go, but the cons of it having it a louder fan, too heavy for my wrists in handheld and that it is windows, but then the Steam Deck stood out and I don't regret the Oled since it's my first Deck.
How do you feel about the SD's 7.4" screen size? Has it ever turned you off? Do the characters in third-person view seem too small compared to your gaming laptop? I'm used to playing on my 15.6" laptop, and have been trying to imagine playing games on a screen half the size of that but you seem like the right person to ask since you own a gaming laptop yourself
I own both gaming laptop and a deck OLED the screen is a great size for me I hardly use my gaming laptop except to stream to my deck. The screen is a perfect size for a portable gaming system. The deck is my favorite gaming item I've ever owned.
Edit to add at new years there were lots of posts to the song of I own a 2000 dollar gaming PC but played 100 percent of my gaming time on my deck last year. I was in market for new gaming laptop and tried to convince my two sons to each get a deck so all three of us could play together. But they wanted the laptop.
@hameerz I thought it would be a downgrade, but since I also have the Nintendo Switch LCD, I didn't notice the big change for gaming. The fact that it has the Oled and HDR (some games) sometimes got me to stop for a moment after completing a mission and just realize that I am gaming on a handheld and it looks beautiful. I am playing Just Cause 3 on High 45fps 90hz without any issue, Warframe looking good too and so on. I also like to not sit at the desk a lot since I do that at my job, so this display is big enough to play the games without a struggle and it also has a magnify mode with Steam button and L1 if reading some is a struggle or usefull if you want to check someting in game where the zoom helps.
you can also stream ps5 games to ur deck
After daily driving both, I have to say the Steam Deck OLED is the way to go. The console-like approach is much more accessible for everyone, and Valve offers impeccable customer service. There's something about Valve's secret sauce at 15 watts that makes a noticeable difference. Compared to the ROG Ally, running at 15 watts, the Steam Deck absolutely outperforms it. Windows UI is also problematic in a handheld form factor. If you're not tech-savvy and want to avoid PC troubleshooting, steer clear of the ROG Ally. Personally, I've had to reimage it twice to fix multiple issues, not to mention I had to send in for RMA for right stick drift. In contrast, I've encountered no technical issues with my Steam Deck (whether it's LCD or OLED).
What people need to remember is that numbers on paper don't always translate to real-world performance in the handheld PC market. I made the mistake of choosing the ROG Ally thinking it would outperform the Deck. However, I quickly discovered that its SOC isn't as power-efficient as the Van Gogh SOC in the Deck, leading to significant battery drain when pushing the ROG Ally at 30 watts.
I don't think that should be accurate. At 15w the ROG posts better numbers in games. The Steam deck performes really well around 8-10w but past 12w every other modern handheld leaves it in the dust.
I do have a deck and the Win Mini, running almost the same chip as the Ally....the mini is pushing 10fps higher or more in most games at the same render resolution as the deck at 15w tdp. The deck outperforms it between 6w and 11w though. It's only past 12 where the Mini really picks up. And at 18w and the same render resolution its easily doing 20+ more fps than the deck.....
Your Ally might have been a lemon
@@Whatsup_Abroad oh you’re right i misspoke. I meant 10 w tdp lol. But even so the battery drain just sucks on the ally. Those meteor lake chips are not power efficient.
So cool seeing another producer going all in on the deck! Was feeling bad for turning my back on my mpc live ll and op-1 for a short time, but seeing your video made me feel like it's ok to do so😬My oled just got here last week too and damn am I hooked. Never owned an lcd version or even a switch, so i'm new to the whole handheld thing. Last one was something like a game boy advance or something like that, lol. But I know a classic device when I feel one. Absolutely agree with you, best one for a longtime!
Agree on all points. My Ps 5, pc, switch are all gathering dust since I got this last Christmas.
Mine is arriving TODAY! Can't wait to set it up and play.
Just received my LCD Steam Deck today. Excited to play on it. Thanks for the video.
That’s awesome! Thanks for watching I hope you enjoy the deck!
I bought an LCD Steam Deck from Valve. Loved it. Broke it. Bought a Steam Deck OLED from Valve. Loved it. Lost it...
I WILL DEFINITELY BE BUYING ANOTHER STEAM DECK OLED because I absolutely LOVE the portability of it. Nothing beats it💯
I totally agree with OLED... I love OLED, got OLED monitors, TV, handhelds, and when I go back to some LCD for a reason or another, I see a huge difference. Black not being totally black is the biggest. I can't go back. I need OLED or I eventually gave up when it's LCD
Tbh i started with a steam deck and after 6 months sold it for the ally rog. I didn’t want to like it at the start however it won me over and I sold the steam deck. Battery wise it’s now up there with the deck due to adjustable fan curves. I’m now getting the ally x and could never return back to the deck again especially with an 80w battery and 24gb ram. I also used the deck with ableton, protools and battery life was rock solid especially on an external monitor.
That’s rad! The Ally X looks pretty sweet!
Do you think the Ally X will come close to SteamDeck battery life? I am still torn between the two.
I still have a deal with the steam deck.User system Windows 11 is a headache.I have the original ally.I lie and I hate it dealing with windows now.I got a steam deck and i'm so happy
Steam Deck
@@prateek2888get rog ally x. The battery is good now and you can play bigger games than the steamdeck
Been using SD LCD, SD Oled, Nintendo Switch OLED, RoG Ally, and Legion Go, but I always came back for SD Oled. The display, battery life just too noice.
Just perusing your vids. Your interests mirror mine greatly. I just got the Deck and I was watching this to feel good about my purchase :)
Keep them coming! Thx
Thank you! Glad you’re enjoying the videos 🙏
Thanks for putting this together, it takes work to do for sure, great job!
I like hearing about and learning about all of the different devices.
I got the ROG Ally X for the same price as a Steam Deck OLED and really like it. Wanted to try the Steam Deck but Best Buy doesn’t sell it and I get all of my stuff from them as I get extended warranty at no extra cost. I love that I can play any of my games on the go now.
Thanks for watching! The Ally X seems like it solves a lot of my issues with the OG, especially battery life. I still really couldn't vibe with windows on a handheld vs the smoothness of SteamOS, but i'm glad it's working well for you!
My 512 gig steam deck oled came in on Saturday and haven’t been able to put it down im using it more that my ps5 right now.
Just wait until you try VRR ally or the beautiful large Lgo, you can't pick up the steam deck again SO do yourself a huge favor and don't spoil yourself by trying the Ally or Lgo
@@thomaszinecker1785 those suck. Battery life is garbage over 1080p. The OG is the better device. Especially modded and with every emulator
For years, I was scared the Vita was going to be the best handheld gaming console we’d ever see, then the Switch came out, and now I have the Deck OLED. Just wish I could play Honkai Star Rail and Wuthering Waves on it.
Yeah next time try buying a current gen system the steam deck dropped with old gen2 tech from the get go.
@@thomaszinecker1785 I built a $2200 gaming/streaming PC two years ago, my dude. I bought this knowing what I was getting into and still like the thing.
I have a couple handhelds and the steam deck oled is still my go-to device. The windows handhelds just have so many more random issues mainly due to the platform itself. ASUS, and the other manufacturers have decent software to help, but it's still an OS developed for keyboard and mouse.
I hadn't bought a system in like 10 yrs and bought a lcd steam deck anti scratch blahblah .best system I've ever had in my life lol .
Who needs in-depth technical analysis and comparison testing when you have this dudes anecdotal story
Perfect just perfect 🥰 SD is the best tech I've ever bought!
As someone who owns the switch, switch lite and steam deck… I prefer the switch lite the most. I never realized how much the form factor mattered to me. I’d pick my miyoo mini as 2nd fav. handheld right now. I end up playing most of my steam games on my pc.
They really need an oled version of the switch lite.
I'm debating on gettting a steam deck just to play helldivers 2 that's the only game I've seen that I can't play on my Xbox that I really want to play
Suspend feature is good but rinses the battery. I'd love to see a steam console unit which you could port around the house from pc monitor to TV. A 4k 60 fps steam console would be amazing.
Got my Steam Deck this past Monday
Imo at least double the performance (GPU wise) with 50% or so better single core IPC with 4-16 hours of playing time would be a worthwhile upgrade target. Imo keeping it to 4 cores would be ideal since its a linux based system you save a lot on overhead and for gaming you don't really need more cores especially with 60hz gaming (which is what they should be targeting for power efficiency sake).
For me Steam Deck OLED being the best *overall* handheld. Its like pretty good in every category.
- The specs are not the best, but its very close to Ally Z1 Extreme in gaming (on handheld mode)
- Battery life its probably the best out there for a handheld, only beaten by a Switch. But Switch's performance is _far_ worse.
- 90hz with no VRR support maybe turn off for some, but its an OLED display.
- Long term support from Valve
- Good price (not too expensive like some of the other Windows based handhelds)
With the ROG Ally X coming out very soon, I'm not sure how will the SD Oled will fare, but its going to have more ram and double battery life over original Z1.
I have both and love my SteamDeck OLED, however it's not close to the Z1 extreme in gaming. In fact a lot of games won't even run on it, or if they do not as well.
*Dylan* Great video. Did you opt for the 512GB gloss screen, or 1TB matte screen? Great content.
Thank you! I should have mentioned in the video but I chose the glossy 512 and paired it with a 512 micro sd card
@@DylanParisMusic That's exactly what I was thinking about doing. I currently have an OLED Switch, and I'm seriously considering selling it, and pilfering the 512GB micro SD that I have in it.
I got a rog ally resolution and VRR are the main reason but its all personal preference on what you need/want get what fits your needs better there both good.
Ally resolution is nice! I don’t miss it too much with the OLED but it was a big upgrade from the LCD deck screen wise
A great review that doesn't treat Valve as a saint and doesn't put down other competitors (and acknowledged their pros/cons and audience). Keep it up!
Watched for the Steam Deck then saw Elektron and Hologram explored your other videos. 👌👌
🙏🫡 that’s so rad!!
I want one. Just kind of hoping for an eventual Deck Lite without the touch pads.
i still got the og it works fine for me as for everything else its the price and windows that why i haven't switched
Doesn't it have the second slowest frame rate only beating the MSI Claw? I use my Steam Deck OLED far less than my Ally. I know its a personal preference but I would choice VRR over my Steam Deck's OLED screen. I just ordered the Ally X a few days ago as well with a 4TB NVME. If it performs the way I expect I plan to sell both my Steam Deck OLED and Rog Ally on Ebay within a month.
Great timing 🤣. Considering ROG Ally X is heading to the market in a month. But I understand - TH-cam algorithm.
I would take this over the Ally X any day
@DylanParisMusic Ok, now I know who am I dealing with. Have a nice day.
I think right now I would go with the rog ally x. It comes down to power. Steam deck just doesn't hold up with some of the newer games. Having said that I totally agree that OLED screen and steamdeck user experience is better. My rog ally has been solid, i dont mind windows and it looks like they fixed everything on the X. Im gonna wait hold on to my ally for now but if steam releases a more powerful deck ill be picking it up.
I was gonna pull a joke from that Bad Lip Reading Yoda and Luke video where Yoda sings about seagulls. But then I realized you mentioned the ROG Ally, so I decided to not use the joke.
Joke: “Ya didn’t like it?” *Using Bad Lip Reading Yoda voice*
Whilst referencing the ROG ALLY
I was torn between the ally steam deck and Legion. I ended up
Buying the Legion it’s on order from Best Buy. This will be my first hand held
Rad! I hope you enjoy it!
So is this the 500 gb one or the 1 tb one that u showed us ??? Cuz I know the screens are different oleds???
Depends what you use it for. Gaming in handheld mode at home? Steam Deck all day. Gaming on the go, like my daily train ride to work : Switch Lite in my opinion. Weighs nothing, fits in my bag and has some nice rpg's to enjoy like octopath traveler 2, sea of stars and the upcoming Dragon quest 3 remake.
Switch Lite is too small for my old man eyes but I support this and it makes sense!
OK. Is it gonna be better than the Ally X? I'm buying soon and really can't decide. Money isn't a problem
For what I want in a handheld absolutely. Others who are okay with windows finickiness, 3 different places to update software and a general lack of smoothness in user experience in exchange for higher resolution but less high quality contrast, smaller, and no hdr support (but with vrr) and more performance gains in modern AAA titles, they would prefer the Ally X
I would like to ask a question: do the Steam Deck OLED analog cores still have drift? or solve the problem of not drifting anymore
I wouldn't call it the best. Linux still needs better support. A lot of multiplayer games dont work due to anticheat
Where i can find used steam decks in paris? i'm going to travel there and i want buy one
Some grown assez really be crying like babies
I have the first gen, waiting for gen3 before I update as I'm happy with it as is. Only complaint will always be SSDs are too expensive and too small compared to HDDs and games are ridiculously large and my gaming ADD gets annoyed when I have to download/manage instead of just add things
Definitely something I feel like the OLED improves, installing on my half terabyte micro sd is wayyyy faster for some reason on the OLED vs the original. Might be WiFi 6 or the reader being faster, not sure!
Honestly the steam deck is great if you're already a pc gamer and have a steam library full of games. If you're a console player you can get cheaper devices that will stream your console perfectly.
Dylan, I know you just put out this tech content for fun, but knowing your channel, I gotta ask, have you ran ableton? Have you tried any music software? I have a pipe dream of taking a Maschine mk3 and a steam deck to the gig, haven’t a clue how that would work out. Cheers
I haven’t run Ableton on any of the handhelds I’ve used cause the screens are pretty small and the battery life would probably not be great. I wouldn’t do the deck cause you’d be running Ableton over an emulation layer if it installs at all, but the ROG ally might work? That said I’d say go for a small macbook or windows laptop over a gaming handheld for music stuff. But that’s just me! It could be a good option for you?
@@DylanParisMusic yeah my laptop works fine, it’s just the hacker in me searching for cool. Of course you would build projects elsewhere, just use the handheld for load and play. As a result of your vid I’ve just been reading about Pipewire, interesting times ahead. Thanks for reply.
Ableton runs fine using windows and my battery ran solid.
@@DylanParisMusic Not an "emulation" layer, but a translation layer. Performance difference is negligable. If you're able to run it on WINE, you can run it on linux.
Great video. Steam deck its great indeed.
etched or glossy? 👀
Glossy!! I should have said that!
Dude, does the 7.4" screen bother you? Like I'm afraid that it'll be too small for me hence why I'm on the fence between this and the LeGo
I think it depends on what you’re used to. For handhelds I’m used to playing on my Switch LCD and remote playing PS5 & Xbox on my iPhone 13 Pro with a backbone. So as far as handhelds go, to me the screen seems massive and I’ve been obsessed with my Deck Oled since I got it.
Depends on what you’re playing, for indie games/emulation it’s enough, but for AAA games I’d definitely go for the Legion Go
I'm in a similar place as wootenjames where this feels huge to me vs the other devices i've used. the weight and size trade off plus dealing with windows hassle and not being able to really use the full resolution of the legion screen are all too big of deal breakers for me to consider the Go, but could be worth trying one to see if you like it?
@@ImUrZaddythis is what I’m thinking. I’m mostly into indie games and emulation so the SD OLED is all I will need. AAA games don’t really appeal to me as much. I would rather watch their gameplay since they seem like a movie rather than a game. Pixelated graphics are my favorite so with the lower performance requirements the SD OLED’s better screen and lower price point appeal to me. Plus the trackpad seems like a dope physical feature to try to implement.
I have a switch and still purchase my games but I play my switch games on my Steam deck because I genuinely find it a better experience. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
i got me the lcd since im too broke for the oled but its pretty good i like it
I have a LCD Deck that I have installed Bazzite on and have decided that it is mainly going to be used for PS1, PS2 and PSP emulation.
I do most of my game playing on my OLED Deck (still on SteamOS, but once Bazzite fully supports it, I will switch).
I have been using Linux desktops since the mid 2000's and been gaming on them a couple years before the original Steam Machines launched (Wine kind worked for a couple of my games). I am so thankful Value has been working with CodeWeavers on Proton.
The Steam Deck is the gaming device I have always wanted and I am very happy with it. I am still looking forward to a proper new controller, new Steam Machines and the next Deck as well.
Happy gaming!
it has the perfect balance between price and performance. No handheld should price similarly to a gaming laptop which is why the rog ally and lenovo go make no sense for me
In mine country all x cost 1000$ and steam deck OLED 800$ so it's not that huge difference in price.
Do a video on the ACS1 you have right there :P
I mainly game on my ps5 and I wanted something on the side to get that steam library but what u need it for tho u have a pc?
You don't need a PC but just steamdeck
Do you plan on keeping or selling your ROG Ally?
Probably gonna sell it, would be a pretty big loss at this point but is okay
I've got the steamdeck oled for indie games and the rog ally for "bigger" games. In total i like the rog ally a lot more and i think i will sell my steamdeck. The reasons are:
Better Hybrid support. You can plug it in your monitor or tv and you can play all your games in 1080p without problems. On the steamdeck you can only play with 800p (this is too less pixels for a bigger screen) or you must quit the game, change to desktop mode and then you can enable 1080p. But most games can't run with 1080p on the steamdeck.
Better performance: Every big new game runs on my ally with 18 watt 1080p upscaling with 40 fps or more. A lot of games can't handle 30 fps on the steamdeck.
I like the windows software more than steamdeck os. For me, the steamdeck os had much more problems than windows. For example is the standby time very terrible on the steamdeck. In one night the steamdeck looses 10 % in standby mode. Windows maybe 1 %.
Saying the Steam Deck is the best is ballsy when the GPD Win Mini exists, has 120hz variable refresh rate, 2 usb c, a usb A, is more powerful, has a full keyboard and mouse, and is small enough to fit in your back pocket.
How fast can Run Desitny 2, Apex Legends and CoD ?
lmao it can't even run Destiny 2 bro, look somewhere else
This is a portable device with limitations you all won't appreciate if you owned one.
I recommend you stick to PS4, PS5, or Xbox for those kind of games you mentioned.
PC if you can afford it.
Great video, I would love to see Game pass without using a browser 🙏
Oh man! Same here!
I loved my ally z1e way more than my steam deck hell i even like my odin 2 more than my steam deck i think the ally x will be the best handheld overall cant wait for mine
Do you use the deck on tv, and if so do you have a specific controller?
I have in the past! It works with any bt gaming controller I've tried including the dualshock 4 from PS4, and the xbox series controllers
I have the legion and it does the same thing when turn off then on it take you right to we're you left off. Steam deck oled was my other option but I love the windows platform
Glad to hear the Legion is working for you!
I just use my Rokid Max AR Glasses that are Micro OLED n give LARGE screen view. Plug straight into USB-C port
The AR Glasses is that good?
My researches are all leading me to the ROG Ally
Your research is correct
It's a matter of preference. The big question you should ask is what games do you want to play? I don't really play COD or a lot of multiplayer games so the Steam Deck was a good choice for me. If I wanted to, I don't mind putting Windows on it.
I think that's the big question because either device is essentially a PC. Like a desktop or laptop, there's always a possibility that you're gonna have to do some tinkering to get things to work properly.
@CallMeMilenko like,from what I gathered,since the steamdeck has it's own OS and shit,backed by Steam itself there should be a lot of games ready to go and fine tuned to fire up on the console.
On the other hand,the Ally (and others) and just regular Windows and some games might not fire up immediately or are poorly optimized?
More like Android (like the wild west) vs Ios (more focused and optimized where 8GB means much more than in other devices).
I dunno what I would be playing,but if it was today, it would be Hades 2, No Rest for the Wicked (when I get it), Baldurs Gate 3...
Also,can the Ally run music production programs? Since it's Windows :D
You won't understand how much of a downside Windows is on a handheld until you try it for yourself. The Steam Deck is second to none when it comes to being a gaming handheld, the rest are just copy cats with off the shelf laptop CPUs.
@adds-kz3oc pls explain,in your experience the pros and cons
If you had a lcd deck would it be possible/ practical to upgrade to the new battery?
I don't think so, but I'm not 100 percent sure
@@DylanParisMusic interesting. My battery life is decent enough any how
@@michaelm1053no its an entirely different system because the OLED gives it more room to fit bigger battery in the outdated sDeck.
I see your steamdeck and raise you a claw
That's a cap! Legion Go or Rog Ally are the go-to the Steam Deck is the switch of handheld PC's.
I need to see Bitwig or Ableton on that thing. 😂 please
Hahaha mannn I should have realized my audience would want this 😭🤣
@@DylanParisMusic m8 headless tracker on there too. Might as well get the most out of it.
Nice nice but lets see the mini
Is steam deck oled better than new upcoming ally x?
In my opinion absolutely. The OLED screen is better, the OS is smoother and actually designed for the hardware, and the quality of life overall with updates and target specs is better. There are others who prefer the Ally so they’ll likely prefer the X, more power to them!
@@DylanParisMusic yh u need power simple as that, without power the machine can't play newer games. Have you got Ally x yet to compare. I'm still thinking about it thanks
I have an original ally and I like the steam deck OLED so much more I would never consider going back or getting the X
@@DylanParisMusic ok
It's the iPhone for gamers, doesn't mean it's the best at it.
I use my iPhone 14 Pro Max for everything and it’s perfect for it
If I want to play offline for months in the middle of nowhere switch is better or steam deck can work for months without internet?
There's steam games that don't require Internet connection.. mostly older titles tho. It can emulate most consoles so if you can get your hands on some roms, you're good to go.
However you need Internet connection when you start a game up for the first time
The Steam deck is almost 3 years old it's better out there being the best is subjective and personal to each user. I wouldn't recommend a 3-year-old product knowing how fast technology moves.
The steam deck OLED is not a three year old product and is more than just a screen improvement
id take my pocket go any day
I' m scared about fan noise
It’s way better on the OLED than the original, but modern heavy AAA games will definitely make some noise, as well as MCC at full 90hz
I'm watching this on a steam deck oled rn lol
Hell yeah 🤣👏
Yeah, but if you buy the Steam Deck because you hate Win11, but want to play D2 or CoD, etc , you have to dual boot with Win11 and STILL have to deal with updates.
I don’t play those games but for people who mainly play those then it may not be the right choice for them
14 people in the dislikes angry that their warranty on their Ally was terminated because they bumped the shell incorrectly. For context, I'm typing this on a system with an Asus motherboard. But I'll never buy another Asus after their RMA BS
yeah i never even tried to use an SD card with the Ally cause of all that, probably should have mentioned that is a factor as well in the video
SD Oled screen is bigger than the first SD...
Eh. Depends. Best handheld for retros, definitely. But for Triple A games, not so much.
As nice as it may be, it's already old tech and lacking in power. Good for indie and some older games but not an option for recent games. Valve should launch a much more powerful SD3 as soon as possible or they'll become obsolete.
I'm sold. Now Valve just needs to make a console and I'll ditch my xbox lol
I would absolutely consider making my desktop a steam machine if I didn’t use it for music production and video work
Yes!!! Dylan also games!!!
💯🫡😎
I just bought the 1 TB Oled variant, can't wait. :)
This video makes me laugh after discovering the rog ally lmfao
if you dont want to play any games and have a back brace steam deck is the way to go
Wild take
@@DylanParisMusic cant play destiny my game and tons of others. noone even talks about this good job reviewers.
@cryengine_x I’m pretty sure I explicitly call that out in this exact video
Bad news: my stean deck finally died on me after years of faithful servie.
Good news: i had enough money to get myself a new Oled :)
Sorry to hear about the old one but stoked for the new one!
Best? If by best you mean smaller screen, outdated parts and burn in issues with OLED plus compatibility handicapp..yes is the "best"
Who are the bots that work for Asus commenting about the Ally on a Steam Deck video? 🧐
Hahaha probably real Ally fans, no harm no foul I’m an Ally fan ally but a steam deck die hard at this point