The Steam Deck OLED improves on the original design of the device in almost every way, and now we know how much better the handheld is in terms of input lag. According to tests conducted with an Nvidia LDAT, the difference versus the Steam Deck LCD is stark.
Our Steam Deck OLED review describes this version of the Steam Deck as “the definitive version of Valve’s handheld”, with its OLED panel proving transformative. While its new screen provides better colors and support for HDR, it also brings with it lower input lag to boot.
In tests conducted by Digital Foundry, the Steam Deck OLED was found to be more responsive by as much as 32.5ms, in select circumstances, reducing input lag from 97.7ms to 65.2ms (an improvement of 33%).
This shining result was captured using an Nvidia LDAT, while playing Crysis 3 Remastered at 90Hz. Doom Eternal saw similarly solid differences, with the Steam Deck OLED clocking in at 51.1ms versus the LCD’s 77.2ms.
However, each refresh rate and game comparison brings with it varying degrees of reduction, with the LCD and OLED basically neck and neck in Crysis 3 Remastered at 25Hz. You can check out the full set of results here and deeper analysis here.
The benefits of OLED technology should hopefully translate to the Steam Deck 2, whenever Valve fancies releasing it. In the meantime, don’t miss out on heavily discounted Steam Deck LCD models while stocks last.