The next limited-edition Steam Deck OLED comes in white, and will be available globally this time
The Steam Deck OLED – which is like a Steam Deck but better in almost every way – is getting a new, if potentially more smudge-susceptible Limited Edition. A successor to the translucent version that only went on sale in the US and Canada last year, the Steam Deck OLED: Limited Edition White offers both a snowy look and, for those of us outside North America, the chance to actually buy one. It’ll go on sale November 18th, in all the countries that the Steam Deck currently ships in.
The white-and-grey makeover will set you back £599 / $679 / €719, so it’s a few notes more than the 1TB Steam Deck OLED it’s functionally identical to. But you would get the exclusive ability to protect your Deck from thieves by camouflaging it against a stack of printer paper, or to pair it more effectively with a boat-ready pair of summer chinos. It’s bundled with a white carrying case, too.
All the same, I’m probably not gonna go for this. Besides being perfectly happy with my bog-standard, goth-shaded Steam Deck OLED, I’d immediately develop a deep paranoia over marks, scuffs, and melted chocolate stains blemishing that pristine exterior. But if you’re the sort that thinks all consumer electronics should look like the iPod, it’s there, albeit temporarily. Limited means limited in this case, and once the initial round of stock sells out, it’s gone forever. Better be ready at 3pm PST / 11pm GMT on the 18th to grab one when they launch.
If you do end up missing out, take comfort in knowing that a successful Limited Edition White could lead to more vibrant Steam Deck recolours in the future. “We’re curious to see what the response is, and will use what we learn to inform future decisions about any potential new colour variants down the line,” said Valve comms chief Kaci Aitchison Boyle in a statement.
Said missive also confirmed that Valve are involved with “ongoing work toward the future of Steam Deck and other hardware plans”, though you can probably expect new colours for the existing models before a full-on Steam Deck 2. That’s still not coming for some time, according to Valve’s engineers, who want to “wait for a generational leap” in computing performance before committing to a whole new handheld.