The Steam Deck LCD, Valve’s original handheld gaming PC, kick-started handheld PC gaming on the go with a Linux-based OS and seamless access to the Steam library three years ago.

Since then, several new players have entered the market, like the ROG Ally, MSI Claw, Lenovo Legion Go, and more. All boasting upgraded internals and better specs. Lenovo has even announced that they will launch handheld gaming PCs running SteamOS, the Legion Go S launching in May 2025.

So how does the original Steam Deck LCD hold up as we enter 2025?

Pros and cons

Let me start off the the pros:

• Affordable pricing. Starting at just $279 for a refurbished unit, it’s very budget-friendly.
• Extensive game library: Access to a vast and growing Steam library that keeps improving with frequent updates.
• Good build quality: Durable and well-designed hardware that stands the test of time.
• Full gaming PC customizability: This is a PC, change what you want.

And the cons:

• Performance with intensive games: The hardware struggles to keep up with new and graphically demanding titles.
• Screen: LCD feels dated when you have experienced OLED.
• Battery life. 40w is drained fast when playing demanding games.
• Regional availability is restricted. Not available in Norway.

Valve’s proven track record

Valve was founded in 1996 by Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington and today, Valve Corporation is a well-known name for gamers. They are the creators of the Steam platform, which continues to set concurrent player records, with a peak of nearly 40 million players at the time of writing. Valve is also behind successful video game franchises such as Team Fortress, Counter-Strike, Half-Life, Portal, and Dota (press F for Artifact).

Valve also has a long track record of hardware innovation. They experimented with Steam Machines and SteamOS back in 2014, which led to the creation of the Steam Controller and eventually the Steam Link streaming box for in house game streaming.

Most notable to me, however, is the Valve Index VR headset. The Index, paired with the groundbreaking Half-Life: Alyx, set the high bar for interactivity and storytelling in AAA VR games and proved that Valve has the means, skills, and competency to seamlessly combine great hardware and software.

The Steam Deck continues to build on this core philosophy: Valve’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of what is possible with both software and hardware. With the immense progress made on the Proton compatibility layer, a revival of the Steam Machine concept, a full-blown Linux-based gaming PC designed for the living room, feels like a natural next step. I can’t wait to see what Valve has in store for Steam and its hardware ecosystem in the future.

Why I chose a refurbished Steam Deck

Valve’s Steam Deck Certified Refurbished has been tested (all inputs, monitor, audio, WiFi, battery health), factory reset and cleaned. You also get the same warranty as a with new unit. My unit looked like new, with no apparent scuffs or damages.

Since money is always an issue for me, I opted for a refurbished version of the 64 GB base model. Unsurprisingly, 64 GB is far too little storage capacity, so I upgraded the internal m2 SSD to a 256 GB version. Further storage can easily be added with a microSD card when needed.

This is the cheapest Steam Deck you can get, and for me, it served as a perfect entry point into handheld PC gaming.

I’ve purchased refurbished products in the past, and personally I have no problems getting a product that has been with other people. To me, the price decrease is worth more than the theoretical small scuffs or marks the device can have. You might see it differently, but this review still serves as a overview on how the original Steam Deck performs in 2025.

It’s worth noting that I already have a desktop gaming PC with a beefy GPU and a Steam library that reflects my compulsive addiction to “collecting” games on Steam. For me, the Steam Deck serves as a companion device for traveling or when I want to chill and play some games but don’t feel like sitting down in the office. It’s a second gaming machine I use around the house or when other family members are using the TV.

Enormous bang for your buck

I feel you get an enormous amount of value with a refurbished Steam Deck. The hardware itself is solid, and with Valve’s frequent software updates —including improvements to the Proton compatibility layer (which lets you play games built for Windows on a Linux machine)—this still holds up as a great gaming PC in 2025.

Build quality and design

The Steam Deck’s outer shell feels good and is made of durable hard plastic.

The 7” LCD screen is large enough and performs well, offering decent black levels, a brightness of 400 nits, a 60 Hz refresh rate, and a 16:10 aspect ratio, with a resolution of 1200×800 pixels.

The buttons—20 in total, not counting the D-pad or trackpads—feel high-quality. They’re on par with modern gamepads like the Xbox Wireless Controller and PS5 DualSense.

Overall, the build quality doesn’t feel exclusive. Valve hasn’t used premium materials like CNC-machined aluminum or glass, but the Steam Deck still feels robust and dependable.

Steam Deck LCD vs OLED: Is the upgrade worth it?

The main argument for the Steam Deck OLED is, of course, the OLED screen. The OLED screen is faster, in both Hz and polling rate and it’s brighter.

The OLED display also offers much deeper blacks and an increased refresh rate of up to 90 Hz. Many games can run at 90 FPS, and considering 2024’s top games played on Steam Deck, titles like Hades 1, Balatro, Brotato, Dead Cells, and Slay the Spire (many, many other titles) are expected to run at this refresh rate.

OLED technology is also more power-efficient than LCD. Combine this with the slightly updated APU in the Steam Deck OLED, a 20% bigger battery (up from 40w to 50w), and you get about a 30% to 50% increase in overall battery life compared to the LCD model. The OLED is also 29 grams lighter (0.6 oz), but the weight difference is insignificant.

And lastly, the important con of the Steam Deck OLED; its price.

• In the USA: $549 for the 512 GB OLED model
• In the UK: £570 for the 512 GB OLED model

This means you can get the the Steam Deck LCD refurbished for around 50% of the OLED version.

I know the screen has deep blacks and buttery smooth performance, but at a 95% higher price (compared to the refurbished base model) it wasn’t worth it to me. Even considering its added battery life.

You can see all the updates to the Steam Deck OLED vs the LCD over at steamdeck.com.

What games run best on the Steam Deck?

My Steam Deck usage leans toward chill, casual titles. Great “on-the-go” games like Brotato, Slay the Spire, and Balatro (with its addictive gameplay and PEGI 18+ rating) are absolutely perfect for the Steam Deck. Dredge, with its Lovecraftian vibes and stylized but good graphics, also runs flawlessly.

Lately, I’ve included Deep Rock Galactic: Survior into the mix, for those short play sessions. It runs OK, but it has high quality graphics, so I put at limit at 30 fps and resolution scaling at 80%.

That said, you can also play games like Hogwarts Legacy, Red Dead Redemption 2, Marvel’s Rivals, and Helldivers 2 on the Steam Deck. Just be prepared to tone down the visual quality compared to a desktop gaming PC or modern consoles.

But the original Steam Deck LCD has surprised me with its graphical fidelity in AAA titles. It runs way better than what I expected.

If you are wondering how it will perform with a certain game, you can use community-driven sites like ShareDeck or the Decky plugin DeckSettings. This is the kind of feature being on an actual gaming PC enables. This flexibility is part of what I truly enjoy about the Steam Deck LCD.

Unlocking full PC potential with plugins

The Steam Deck is, in fact, a full-blown handheld PC, running a custom Linux distro called SteamOS. SteamOS is optimized for running Steam, accessing, and playing games. It also features a full Linux desktop environment running behind the SteamOS overlay, allowing users to access the native OS to install apps, browse the web, or perform other PC tasks.

The Linux environment is used when installing plugins, or doing deeper tweaks to the SteamOS. For example Decky Loader, a community-developed tool for managing Steam Deck plugins. Decky Loader makes installing plugins a breeze. It opens up a world of Steam Deck customization, including changing sounds and animations, recoloring the Steam UI, modifying Deck settings, adding additional Bluetooth options, and more.

I will not cover how to install plugins, but it is easy and well-documented on GitHub, YouTube, and the Decky Loader website. To get started, visit Decky.xyz in a browser, from the Steam Deck’s native Linux desktop environment.

The Junk-Store plugin enables access to libraries from both Epic Games Store and GOG (Good Old Games), expanding the Steam Deck’s compatibility. While accessing these libraries and services expands the Steam Deck’s utility, it requires some setup and isn’t as seamless as native SteamOS functionality. To access GOG from the Junk-Store plugin, you also need to pay a one-time fee or subscribe.

Xbox Cloud Streaming is also accessible through the Edge browser. Simply install Edge in the Linux desktop environment, log in, set xCloud as home page, and add Edge as a non-Steam game to Steam.

Battery life and performance tuning

The Steam Deck LCD features a 40Wh battery.

How long does 40W last? Well that depends on you usage. A great feature of SteamOS is that you can adjust wattage usage depending on your needs or desired performance (FPS) and thus tune your performance depending on how long you need the battery to last.

There are a number of ways you can limit the Steam Deck’s performance. FPS limit in-game, FPS limit in the SteamOS overlay and you can limit the total wattage available for the APU. The Performance tab in the SteamOS lets you know how long your battery will last, depending on performance settings and wattage used. This means that if you are on a 6-hour flight, you can adjust the Steam Deck’s performance so you can play Hades for all those hours. Neat!

Many indie games, or smaller, less graphically intensive games, preform well even when wattage is limited, letting you play for many hours on one charge.

However, graphically demanding games like Baldur’s Gate 3, Cyberpunk 2077, or Hogwarts Legacy require full power, resulting in around two hours of battery life.

The Steam Deck drains some battery in sleep mode, so I prefer shutting it down fully after use. It’s annoying to sit down for some playtime only to realize it’s out of battery.

Weight, specs and connectivity

The Steam Deck LCD weighs 669 grams (23.6 oz).

It is comfortable to use while sitting on a couch or in a chair, even though it has a fairly hefty size of 298 × 117 × 49 mm (11.7 × 4.6 × 1.9 in).

In the box, you also get a 45W USB-C charger, but the Steam Deck will charge with any USB-C charger, you don’t have to use the official one. The 45W charger is rated for charging while playing, meaning if the device is powered off, it will still charge with wattage lower than 45W.

You also get a carrying case that is well-padded with a hard outer shell, providing a perfect way to protect the Steam Deck while traveling.

With its Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, downloads are fast and reliable.

The Steam Deck also features Bluetooth, allowing you to connect devices like the Xbox Wireless Controller and PS DualSense controller. With the MagicPods plugin, you can even pair Apple AirPods and enjoy features like Active Noise Cancellation, transparency mode, and more.

Limitations and negative aspects

The main downside of the Steam Deck is its graphical power, which struggles with newer, graphically intensive games.

If you’re playing recently launched AAA titles, you’ll likely encounter limitations. Even with the slight upgrade in the Steam Deck OLED, this generation of hardware falls just short of delivering smooth performance on the most demanding games.

That said, games like Baldur’s Gate 3, Hogwarts Legacy, Elden Ring, Diablo IV, and Red Dead Redemption 2 are still among the top 20 played games on the Steam Deck—proving its capability to handle them with some compromises.

Pricing and availability

Provided you live in markets where Valve’s software is availble, you can get a refurbished Steam Deck LCD model with 64 GB of storage for £249 or $279.

In Norway, and many other markets, the Steam Deck is not available through official channels. Mine was imported from the UK resulting in a price around 3800 NOK. Roughly equivalent to a Nintendo Switch OLED. The Steam Deck LCD is also around 25% cheaper than the MSI Claw, and 50% cheaper than the ROG Ally and Legion Go.

Conclusion

The Steam Deck LCD is still a fantastic gaming PC in 2025, and with the vast library of games on Steam, I believe it will remain relevant for many years to come. Valve has a great track record with the Steam Deck’s frequent Proton updates, and they have announced that there is no Steam Deck 2 in the works, yet.

I can easily live with it not playing the newest, most graphically intensive games for the next years. A handheld PC that can live at my couch, easily accessible, that lets me dig into my backlog or freshly released indie titles is insanely valuable to me.

During 2025, I will start letting my 7 and 4-year-old kids dip their toes into Steam PC gaming, and with Steam’s good family sharing options, the Steam Deck LCD will be a great starting gaming PC for my kids.

Getting a refurbished model makes it even more appealing, and it’s a fantastic budget-friendly entry into handheld PC gaming. If you’re on the fence and wondering how much use you’d get from a handheld PC, I suggest you start with a Steam Deck LCD refurbished.