Key Takeaways
- Valve recently announced the Steam Deck OLED, an upgraded version of the handheld PC with a larger display, faster connectivity, and more storage.
- The implementation of native dual-booting Windows on the Steam Deck got delayed due to the same team working on the Steam Deck OLED, but Valve is planning to make progress on SteamOS updates in the coming year.
- While it is currently possible to dual-boot Windows on the Steam Deck, it is not officially supported, and Valve is working on a dual-boot wizard that will natively support both Windows and SteamOS, offering access to a wider variety of content and services.
Valve announced an upgraded version of the original Steam Deck in the form of Steam Deck OLED yesterday. Starting at $549, the handheld PC comes with a bigger and better 7.4-inch display, faster internet connectivity, a beefier battery, and up to 1TB of storage. Although Valve has upgraded the hardware ahead of a full-fledged “Steam Deck 2” or the release of a faster handheld, it’s looking to prioritize software improvements in the months to come too.
In a statement to IGN, Steam Deck designer Lawrence Yang has explained that since the same team that was implementing native support for dual-booting Windows in Steam Deck was also working on the Steam Deck OLED, the former item got delayed. However, the team is still giving the feature a high priority, as noted in the statement below:
Dual-boot support (and SteamOS general install) is very high on the list for folks working on SteamOS. It also happens that all of those OS folks have been working on getting Steam Deck OLED out the door. That said, we’re planning to make meaningful progress on these SteamOS updates in the coming year.
It is important to note that it is still possible to dual-boot Windows on a Steam Deck, but since it is not officially supported, you have to jump through a lot of hoops, as explained in our detailed guide here. Although Valve facilitates the installation of Windows on its hardware and also recommends drivers offered by Microsoft and other vendors, its support page mentions the need to completely uninstall the pre-installed SteamOS in order to install Redmond’s operating system.
Valve does say that a dual-boot wizard that natively supports dual-booting both Windows and SteamOS is in the works, which is what Yang is hinting at, but all we know is that it will arrive alongside SteamOS 3, which doesn’t have a concrete release date right now. And in case you’re wondering why the facilitation of this capability is important, it’s because this will allow gamers to easily access a wider variety of content and services such as PC Game Pass.
Steam Deck OLED
Valve’s refreshed Steam Deck comes with an OLED display, a newer APU, bigger battery and starts at $549.
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