Valve has recently added the Steam Deck OLED to its certified refurbished lineup, creating a buzz among gaming enthusiasts. This means gamers can now snag the OLED version of the Steam Deck at a significant discount when buying directly through Valve. The refurbished OLED models are priced about 20% less than their brand-new counterparts.
The refurbished offerings include the 1TB and the 512GB OLED models. For the tech-savvy shopper, the 1TB comes in at $519, while the 512GB is available for $439. To put this in perspective, a brand-new 1TB model would set you back $649, and the 512GB model is $549. That’s a neat saving of $120 on the 1TB version and $110 on the 512GB one. Interestingly, this pricing allows gamers to pick up a refurbished 1TB OLED model for $30 less than a new 512GB OLED version.
For those considering other options, the only new Steam Deck version that costs less than these refurbished OLEDs is the somewhat older 256GB LCD model, currently priced at $399. Valve also offers refurbished LCD versions, but presently, all models in this range—the 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB—are out of stock, and the 512GB and 64GB models aren’t available new anymore.
With these price points, it’s easy to overlook the significant upgrades the Steam Deck OLED brings beyond just the display. This isn’t just a switch from LCD to OLED. The new screen supports a 90Hz refresh rate, a larger 7.4-inch size, HDR, and goes from regular 400 nits to a dazzling 1000 nits peak brightness in HDR mode. The older LCD model was a 7-inch display without HDR, offering only 60Hz and the same 400 nits brightness.
There’s a lot going on under the hood too. The battery has seen a sizable boost from a 40Whr unit up to a 50Whr one. Valve claims this new battery can offer between 3 to 12 hours of playtime depending on your gaming habits, compared to the 2 to 8 hours from the LCD version. The RAM also received an upgrade from LPDDR5 at 5500MT/s to a faster 6400 MT/s, and the AMD APU now features a 6nm process, an improvement over the 7nm process of the LCD model.
For those interested in these revamped devices, the refurbished Steam Deck OLEDs are currently available in select regions, including Canada, the EU, the UK, and the US. Each unit also comes with a one-year warranty, the same as new units, though depending on where you live, this warranty may extend.
