I'm glad to finally be able to address one of the biggest questions I've received. Hope this helps! Steam Deck OLED Playlist: kzfaq.info/sun/PL9lafQPiMYh6-tBRxhU2Q4BX5kSbT8oQy *Featured Games* Gunfire Reborn Half-Life Alyx Sanabi Final Fantasy 7 Reborn Stray Metroid (NES / Mesen) Final Fantasy Crisis Core Reunion Windbound Kena and the Bridge of Spirits Amid Evil Cloudpunk

The screen comparison video I’ve been waiting for!👍

Just dropping my summary here that I made somewhere else: The etched screen on an OLED is an issue that needs to be looked at in three different uses cases: - dark room - low light - high (direct) light In addition the effect of the etched screen needs to be clarified: It disperses light. That means that a strong light the hits the screen from one side is not reflected off of it to the other side without the user noticing. Instead the entire screen reflects some part of each light into the user's eye. This is good for things that would reflect the light into the users eye anyway, because this light is lessed. But it means that all light is in part reflected into the users eye. So what the user sees at any part of the screen is a mixture of the dispersed light, AND the light coming from the screen at this part. And if you want to enjoy OLED blacks (where the screen is basically turned off) that's BAD, isn't it? But is it? Let's look at dark room usage first. There is no light to disperse. The etched screen will not look any different from the non-etched screen, aside from some minor loss in sharpness. And that would be really hard to notice, especially if we are still talking about an 800p screen. You'll basically loose sharpness to see distinct pixels. Low light will be the most important one, because it's the use case most will encounter. This can be a lit room, but it can also be outside, where you have light in the environment, but nothing that casts tons of light directly at the screen. Here things get interesting, because we have two different things to look at: Bright parts of the screen, and dark parts of the screen. The environment will have a lot of dim to medium lit objeckts behind the user, there is no way to avoid this. The oled screen is very bright, so the bright parts will overcome the direct reflections on the non-etched screen of those pretty well, BUT they will also overcome the etched screen's light dispersement even better than the single highlights. Now for the dark parts of the image. These will show the dreaded light dispersement of the etched screen. The OLED's black, but also dark colors can go very very dark, and there will not be any light, by design, to overcome the dispersed light. But let's look at what that means for the non etched screen. Turn on your phone, and hold it right up, so that your face is reflected in it. Do you see many reflections? No, too much light coming from the display that overcome the very low light direct reflections on the glass. Turn it off. Now you see EVERYTHING, reflected like a mirror, because no light is coming from the device to overcome these veeery slight direct reflections. This is what all dark parts of the OLED image would look like, and this is the real difference to the LCD deck: The LCD deck ALWAYS emits light that overcomes these slight reflections, so on the non-etched LCD screen, these aren't that noticable. Now turn to the OLED screen, which is OFF in black parts, and even the smallest of reflections return. This means that no matter how low light the objects in your environment are, the black pixels will NEVER overcome their reflections. Black parts of the screen will always reflect everything, no matter how low light you go. It might even happen in total darkness, when parts of the screen light up your face, while the black parts then perfectly reflect your face. And this could NOT have happened on the LCD deck. Now for high (direct) light conditions. This is basically studio light, like in youtube videos. A very bright light shines directly on the screen, leading to tons of dispersed light being reflected into the eye/camera. In the worst case scenario, there are also no other objects but the deck being lit, so the non-edged screen shows just a small amount of reflections, while the etched screen is overall BRIGHT. This is not likely to happen in real life, where a very bright light in the environment would usually lead to an overall bright environment. That means the non-etched screen would likely be showing reflections that cannot be overcome even by the bright OLED screen. Black parts of the screen would reflect even more heavily here as well, leading to a more realistic tradeoff between OLED black levels and reflections. Again, the bright parts of the screen will overcome the dispersed light, those are not a problem here. So TLDR: If you hated reflections on then LCD, you are likely to LOATH them on the OLED. If you want true blacks on your etched OLED screen, you are still going to get them in low light environments.

Dude thank you for calming my tits about this issue. Bought the limited edition and have been second guessing it since reading about all the screen drama online. Thank you for comparing the two and being so thorough about it.

We ordered a 512gb and an LE. I just spent 2 hours playing and comparing, and Taki is completely correct. Both screens are brilliant and no matter which one you choose you will love it. I can barely see any difference, aside from the etched handling reflections better. If there is any difference it’s like 1% or something. Seriously, Valve hit a home run with the SD OLED. Nuff said, time to go play more. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

OMG! Thank you so damn much for THIS great comparison. I was so confused witch one i should order. You explained all the details and differences! Thank you 1000 times. Best vid on YT for the Display comparison! 👍👍👍

I have been watching videos on this topic all day, and you just so happened to come out with this, you are the goat man

This is exactly the breakdown i was hoping to see. Thank you!

Looks like either one is fine. I prefer glossy myself but you can't go wrong either way.

I've bought the 1 TB OLED model, mostly because I wanted the extra SSD storage from the off but also because I know how annoying reflections can be on a glossy OLED display from using my LG B9 TV. I will likely use the Steam Deck for 50% of the time during the day and the rest at night so I feel the etched glass is the preferred option anyway for me. Good video though. No-one else has done this kind of comparison as far as I am aware so this is useful information. Thanks.

I'm getting the glossy one so I can have a screen protector on. I have refrained from having a screen protector on my etched LCD because a glossy protector on an etched screen isn't 100% the same as glossy on glossy and etched on matte would be even worse. And it have been a point of worry ever since I got it. With the glossy OLED I can throw any screen protector on, matte or glossy, and it won't be worse than the ethched without a protector.

Thank you for clearing it up for everyone. great review been waiting for this since release

Thanks for uploading this! Honestly made me much calmer about the etched display, I think I will keep it without a glossy screen protector as the OLED will seemingly still look phenomenal even with the anti-glare. Although very afraid of receiving a BOE Panel as I have never had a good experience with their displays in the past on standard LCD monitors...

Amazing video with incredible detail and real world scenarios, this is exactly the type of video I’ve been looking for to justify purchasing the LE OLED Steam Deck.

Great video, well thought out commentary and pros and cons of each. Someone on the Steam Deck reddit was basically insulting anyone who got the etched version this week.

Thanks for this comparison! I had the OG 512GB Etched Glass Deck (also with a glossy screen protector as a etched one wasn't available at it's launch). I was thinking about all the recent comments from people stating that the standard glossy screen was better. Good to know the etched glass still has some good advantages in brighter environments like in a vehicle or outside.

Thanks for the info on the shell swap, I was very curious about it. I’m keeping my launch 512 GB Deck; I did an Extreme Rate shell swap to trans black and I’m super proud of the work. I nearly got the limited edition but I can make that again with the proper shell when it’s available

For those curious, I have the 512gb MATTE finish on my old Steam Deck. Even when I would have light on the screen, I would move my hands slightly to remove the light completely just like I would with a glossy finish. So even though the matte diffuses better, I always remove that annoying light from view completely anyway so it makes no difference which OLED I'd get.

Been waiting for this! Thanks

First of all, I have to say that your comparison and analysis were so good that it was worth watching the first half of the video, which was more focused on providing context. To be honest, I almost skipped your video when no comparison was being made in the first 9 minutes. Second of all, and most importantly, I truly appreciate all the work invested. Now I have a clear idea of both versions. Subscribed. :)

Lights off: both look the same. Inside the house: Glossy wins. Outside the house: Etched wins.

If the etched glass was that bad, there's no way valve would have put it on the top model.

After watching tons of videos and being unsure, this is finally the one to relax me and make me sure of my purchase. Thank you!!!

Best comparison I've seen!! Excellent job!!

Super helpful comparison here! Glad I went with the limited edition. Was worried that some vibrancy would be lost but its really just a difference of how to handle non-ideal lighting environments.

Thanks but I wish you would've done the test with half of the etched screen being under a glass screen protector to see if there are any differences and also compare it to the fully glossy version. That would've been the ultimate end goal.

You’re the man. Thanks for being so comprehensive. Also definitely gonna play Metroid on it !

Great video! Thank you for making an informative test

Thanks for the video - my final question is, if we put a matte protector on the etched - does it give the same picture quality as putting a matte on the normal glass, or does it infact give it 'twice as much haze'

I don't expect I will be upgrading to the OLED as I don't use my steam deck a ton, but it's good to know there isn't a huge difference. I personally would go with etched every time as it makes the deck more usable in all conditions and you really aren't losing much detail.

Finally someone does this comparison on video. Great video, it’s perfect.

Outstanding analysis brother. Thank you!

Its really nice to know that you can just swap the SSDs. It would make it a lot easier to transfer my data and pass down my current one to a sibling when I eventually upgrade.

Great video taki. Been waiting on someone to do this, but I still prefer the gloss it has nothing to do with my finances.

came here just to see the screens compared - ended with disassembling my deck following instructions! 😁👍 good deep content

This is the video that everyone was waiting for. Amazing job on the presentation! And incredible work by Valve. My 12 year old brain would never be able to wrap my head around the idea of something like the Steam OLEDeck!

I would love to see a deep dive video comparing the Samsung vs. BOE panel. Hopefully this isn't another panel lottery game where 1 version is clearly superior to the other. The fact that you received both Samsung panel Decks makes me think that Valve are cherry-picking the "best" versions to send out to reviewers, but that's just a conjecture.

I'm pretty happy I went with the 512GB. I do prefer the screen coating and I also saved $100 that I spent on games. Win, win, win.

Great review of this topic. Thanks!

yes dude thanks for making this vid I really wanted to see the diference between these!

If you would slap a screen protector on the etched, would it match the non-etched one? Just curious.

You earn my subscription, amazing video!

Super helpful comparison. Thanks!

sadly glossy is also fingerprinty... thanks for the vid, very helpfull

I’d be more concerned about the LE BOE screens versus the Samsung on the lower models. As a LE purchaser I came to the realization I have a dead pixel. The BOE panels seem to have more flaws versus the Samsung models and it’s disappointing but it’s time to start the RMA process.

This was just excellent, thank you!!

Thanks for this! I almost thought about returning my 1tb but now that I see these tests, I will keep it (when it arrives). I play mostly at night so I am glad I wont be impacted much.

My LE has the BOE panel. It also has 3 dead pixels so I reached out to valve for a replacement. Curious to see if all LE decks have BOE panels

Didn't know they had two different suppliers for the display, thanks. What game are you playing @8:45?

Great video. Super comparison. Thank you.

Wow. What a video! Thank you for your hard work :)

Yea i assumed the ppl who were saying the etched glass "ruins" the colors were full of shit

I dont know man, 13 min 20 second mark, there is something valid to the argument as to how the etched glass destroys the OLED blacks. Also, either way you can still see the reflections and no-one, etched or glossy, would try to use said device with that kind of light source behind them. What Im worries about is low level ambient from say a lamp in the living space or light from an open window bouncing light around the room, how that would destroy the blacks on the screen because of the diffusive behavior of the etched display. At the end of the day, neither glossy nor etched eliminates reflections, one mitigates it by diffision and im not entirely sure thats the best combination with OLED. Its nice to see they the etched display performs as well as glossy with no light whatsoever. Also, i dont know how you didnt capture it but over on r/SteamDeck all of the glossy vs etched show the glossy having more vibrant colors. Love your content, thanks for the comparison! I have a 512GB glossy arriving Saturday.

OMG, the screen looks soooo goood, even in this filming-with-a-camera-and-uploading-to-KZfaq situation!

Incredibly detailed vid, thank you!

Thank you so much for considering how non-light sources reflect on the screen (14:57), and for actually taking them outside and comparing them in natural light (15:28). Seemingly every other video is just someone aiming a light directly at the screen in a controlled studio which does not reflect real world usage. I'm not so much concerned about how the screen looks with a light shining directly on it since I will make every possible effort to position the device to avoid that kind of direct light exposure. It's going to be distracting and have a significantly adverse effect on the viewing experience no matter which type of screen you get, and it's relatively easy to avoid in most scenarios by just sitting/holding the device a little differently. I also expect that the environments I play in will likely not be anywhere near as "clean" or controlled as a studio, so those kinds of demonstrations aren't actually very helpful to me as they are effectively a non-factor. Rather, I'm concerned with how reflective the surface is in general and how much things are going to show up on the screen when light is bouncing off other things in the environment around or behind you. You can avoid having a light shining directly on the screen, but in a brightly lit environment (like the waiting room at a doctor's office, or as a passenger in a vehicle) with a lot more things around you, there's still going to be a ton of light reflecting off of different surfaces that can still show up on the screen if it's extremely reflective. That's when I want to know how the screen looks just reflecting the environment around you, which in real world applications are going to be vastly "busier" with more chaotic light than in a studio test where the device is sitting flat on a table looking up at flat, empty ceiling with nothing else to possibly reflect on screen except for the test light. Your video comparisons suggest to me that the etched screen is the superior option, speaking as someone who would only intend to use the Steam Deck as an actual portable gaming device while away from home. I'm sure the glossy screen is technically better and probably looks better under ideal conditions, but those reflections you showed of your hand and the tree canopy really stood out in comparison to the etched screen where they were far less noticeable.

Samsung vs BOE Steam Deck OLED video coming soon??

Thank you so much. You've cleared up many of my concerns. :)

Man, what a video, thanks a lot, that was very useful! ❤

I get why someone would get the more premium deck model, but as a casual user here's my take: I see and respect the benefits of the 1tb version, but I'm probably going for the base model OLED because I can see myself upgrading the storage myself if I need to. And I'll probably get an anti-glare screen protector sense I'm buying one either way.

Question: How about if I'm going to put an etched glass screen protector on top of the etched glass OLED? Use case is if I want to protect the screen but keep it antiglare Any cons? Or does it just depend on the quality of the screen protector

first video of your i see. very good descriptions and presentation. thanks a bunch *subbed and liked for reasons

I much appreciate the outside shots. But is your second most common use case really playing in front of a bright studio light? Would have loved to see the steam deck reflection in a normally lit living room, positioned not reflecting the ceiling, but upright, reflecting walls and objects in the room.

Mainly its about the blacks vs both. Id be more curious about etched with screen protector vs non etched with screen protector and if there is ANY noticeable differences whatsoever.

Bought a 512 simply because I use screen protectors and I probably will upgrade to 2tb if easy windows support comes.

loved the video , thank you keep up the good work

Thank you for showing the SSD swap in full

The issue I had with the etched screen is putting a screen protector on it did no favours. If you put a matte screen protector on the etched screen it looked blury, and putting a glossy SP on it defeated the purpose of the etched screen.

This is interesting to watch, but something to consider is this; don’t worry about the screen, if you plan on getting a screen protector (you should) then you can pick and choose what you want. You want 1Tb model but not the glass? Get a clear screen protector. You want the 512gb but want etched glass? Get an etched glass screen protector. That should remove some of the choice

thank you Taki... im thinking about getting the Steam Deck OLED... more likely the 512GB... i appreciate your detailed and thorough feedback on both the new and original Steam Deck... i appreciate you man... thanks again! 👍🏽👍🏽

great comparison! I was on the fence for sure!! I'm assuming also, using things like Decky and the 'vibrancy' options that were made available for the LCD Deck, those could also help the etched screen pop "as normal"?

I think the deal is when things are so similar between two things, even relatively small differences can seem massive.

I’m glad I went with the limited edition etched. Minor differences but if I’m ever in a well lit room or outside I’ll be glad I have the etched. Plus more on board storage and special case / colors

Whew i was feeling a wee bit worried cause i impulsively bought the limited edition. Wonderful breakdown, cant wait till it comes in the mail.

I was team glossy before saw this video. I think you addressed everything the community discuss, well done!

I’ve tried to explain this exact trade off to people who talk bad about the etched screen. Thanks for taking the time to make a video showing it off. The reflection issue was not really about direct light sources, but about the mirror effect. I prefer matte screens because of this, I rather lose a little perceived vibrancy and not be able to see myself looking back at me in the screen.

At the very least I don't feel too bad for getting the cheaper option. I hate to miss out on that case though..

This was an excellent video. Thank you.

Great video, thanks man!

I got etched glass on the first model and regretted it. Seemed like it was harder to clean the screen than my other device screens and looked gross when my daughter got ahold of it. Also I was always jealous when seeing someone else with the glossy screen because it just looked better to me. If I could go back I’d have gotten the 64 and upgraded ssd. At the time though 2230 ssd were not widely available. This time I went for the 512 just for the glossy screen and giving my old one to my husband.

My Special Edition arrived yesterday. I was worried about the glossy vs matte and in person that OLED panel is so much of an upgrade from the LCD I am in love with it. Couldn’t care less that I don’t have the glossy panel. For everyone that was on the fence it’s personal taste for sure and to each their own. I love it.

Great video. I mainly play on Nreal AR glasses, Im thinking of buying the Xreal Pro 2. With that being said, I ordered the special edition...Do you think the new Oled 1tb will make any visual difference? Thx again

Great video. Many thanks. What was the first game you were playing? Looked like a fast-paced platformer shootem-up.

I'll take an itty bit less brightness rather than a lot more glare and reflections.

So glad I went for the glossy version. Etched looks ass.

You are the hero we need. Those reddit forum discussions were cracy.

This really calms my anxiety. I ordered the anti-glare 1TB version for the extra stuff it comes with + the storage and then started reading comments about how the screen sucked and got really worried. Now I'm just excited :D

Here's my question... why would you be playing your Steam Deck OLED in a bright setting to even need the etched glass? Overall I think the glossy clear OLED screen is superior.

Whatttt? You actually can send them an email and ask them to send you a steam deck Oled if you are living in a country where you can not buy it???

I'm partial to the glossy, especially on OLEDs but honestly I'm impressed with Samsung here, they did a great job on both. I always play in a room with dim lights so never have reflection problems and almost never use the touchscreen, I prefere typing with the trackpads so I'll go with the least expensive option for sure.

Excellent video, thank you 🙏

From what I've read, Valve didn't go as glue happy on the screens with the OLED model, so doing anything that would require removing the screen (i.e. front shell swap) *should* be easier!

Glad i bought the limited edition one. Just as I thought, the etched glass is still great. A slight loss in black levels, but certainly worth getting rid of mirror like reflections

seems like madnes to me to put an etched screen in front of an OLED panel. Glossy 100%

12:10 Great explanation and visual. Gave a like

Thanks for this! Just a small note of feedback: I’d love to know what game you are playing. Maybe a small note at the bottom of the screen to point it out as you are playing would be great.

I bought the limited edition steam deck OLED and had a little bit of FOMO with not having the glossy screen. After this video I feel way more confident with my purchase. I use my deck in a lot of uncontrolled lighting situations and I am happy to know there is not as much quality difference in controlled lighting.

you can add a screen protector to an antiglare and it will fill in the etching as shown on the dave2d video if you are worried about it.

Nice test ! I bought the 1to 🎉

Curious your thoughts on Anti-glare and if you who use a screen protector, i keep reading you shouldnt but then im afraid of my screen getting a scratch