Summary
Valve has officially begun selling refurbished models of itsSteam Deck OLEDhandheld gaming PC. The company’s Certified Refurbished program will allow prospective buyers to snag aSteam Deck OLEDat a substantially cheaper price point, but it doesn’t guarantee the pristine physical condition of a brand-new model.
TheSteam Deck OLED launched in November 2023as a hardware revision of the 2022 model. As the name suggests, the Steam Deck OLED’s most notable upgrade was its 7.4-inch 90Hz HDR OLED display, regarded by many as a massive improvement over the original model’s smaller 60Hz LCD screen. The Steam Deck OLED introduced a laundry list of enhancements beneath the surface as well, including a larger battery, a smaller and more power-efficient chipset, improved cooling system, faster Wi-Fi, better Bluetooth module, and much more.
Unlike theLCD Steam Deck’s breadth of choicebetween 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage options, Valve only offers the Steam Deck OLED in 512GB and 1TB variants. This resulted in a higher $549 cost of entry for the Steam Deck OLED lineup, and the simultaneous discontinuation of the 64GB and 512GB LCD models incurred some complaints from prospective buyers. Now, though, theSteam Deck OLED has been added to Valve’s Certified Refurbished programin the US, UK, Canada, and EU, which means the handheld can be purchased for as low as$439 for the 512GB modeland$519 for the 1TB model.
Steam Deck OLED Refurbished Prices
Much like theCertified Refurbished program for the LCD Steam Deck, those looking to pick up a Steam Deck OLED cansave up to a hefty $130depending on the refurbished model they go with. The 512GB and 1TB Steam Deck OLED variants are identical in terms of specs, with the only difference being a glossy screen on the former and an anti-glare etched glass display on the latter. Valve claims that every refurbished Steam Deck OLED will be subject to an “extensive examination” entailing over 100 tests to ensure that it matches (or even “exceeds”) the performance standards of brand-new units. However, interested buyers should note that refurbished Steam Deck OLED models may possess “minor cosmetic blemishes.”
Regardless of potential physical imperfections, Valve’s promises of an equal performance benchmark between refurbished and brand-new Steam Deck OLED units are reassuring. Similar toSony’s refurbishment program for PS5 consoles, refurbished Steam Deck OLED owners will receive a full one-year warranty should anything go awry with their system. It’s also a clever move on Valve’s part to make the Steam Deck OLED available at cheaper prices right at the precipice of the holiday season.
Steam Deck
The Steam Deck is Valve’s entry into the handheld PC market, using a custom Linux-based OS to bring your Steam library wherever you go. Launched in 2022 with an LCD screen, an updated model with an OLED screen followed in late 2023.
