Updated 4 Nov 2026
Is the Valve Steam Deck OLED (512GB) worth it?
Yes — the handheld PC most people should get.
It runs SteamOS, made for a handheld, so it boots straight into your Steam games with no Windows fuss. The 7.4-inch 90Hz HDR OLED screen is bright and vivid, it's very well built, and the battery is better than the first Steam Deck's. Its chip is the original's, so the newest big games need low settings and some 'Verified' games still run roughly, and heavy games drain it in about two hours. Valve raised the price in May 2026, to £649 and $789, and sells it only on Steam.
100%of 30 owners give it 4 or 5 stars
- Bright 7.4-inch HDR OLED screen
- SteamOS: your Steam games, no Windows fuss
- Excellent build and controls
£649
Typical price — check the retailer for today's. We earn a commission from these links.
What owners say
Owners love the OLED screen and how well their games run, and several call it their best purchase. Nobody rated it below 4 stars; a few note that the newest big games need low settings.
Good to know
- The chip is the original Steam Deck's: new big games need low settings, and some 'Verified' ones still stutter.
- Heavy games drain the battery in about two hours.
- It's big and heavy for a handheld, at 640g.
- Game Pass and some multiplayer games with anti-cheat don't run on SteamOS.
- Sold only on Steam, and Valve raised the price by over a third in 2026.
From 30 buyer ratings at Takealot (South Africa), every complaint read by us, November 2026. How we do this
What they love
- A stunning OLED screenMentioned a lot
- Runs their games smoothlyMentioned often
- Good battery lifeAlso mentioned
- Great for travelAlso mentioned
What they complain about
Hardly any: just 0 of 30 owners gave it 3 stars or fewer, and no complaint came up often enough to list.
Get it if…
- You have a Steam library to play on the sofa or on trips.
- You want a handheld PC that just works.
- You care about the screen.
Skip it if…
- You want the newest big games at high settings: an ROG Xbox Ally X is faster.
- You play mainly Game Pass or Xbox games.
- You want Nintendo's games.
More on the Steam Deck OLED
How we reached this verdict
PC Gamer scores it 89, calling it a refinement of an already fantastic handheld, with an excellent OLED, better battery and impressive build; its complaints are the bulk and Linux quirks. TechRadar calls it the definitive Steam Deck but finds the battery still short, about two hours in demanding games, and the chip unchanged. Both reviewed it at $549 and £479; on 27 May 2026 Valve raised it to $789, £649 and €779 for 512GB (Tom's Hardware, TheSixthAxis). At Takealot, the only shop we read that has reviews of it, all 30 owners rate it 4 or 5 stars, mostly for the OLED screen.
We compared independent expert reviews with the manufacturer's specifications, then checked it's sold at a major retailer where you live. We don't test products ourselves.
Sources: PC Gamer, TechRadar, Tom's Hardware (2026 price), TheSixthAxis (UK and EU prices), Engadget, Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, manufacturer specifications.
Updated 4 Nov 2026How we decide