Why You Should Get the LCD Steam Deck Before It’s Gone

For a limited time, Valve is putting their LCD Steam Decks on sale as they attempt to phase the old models out completely. Once these are sold out, they’re gone forever, never to be restocked. But why even get one if the OLED exists? For some people, the discounted LCD might be a better pick.

The Steam Deck LCD Is Being Liquidated

You know how stores will put their products on a massive sale when they are closing up shop or getting rid of old inventory? Valve is doing just that with the Steam Deck LCD: or at least, the 64 and 512GB versions. Valve is focusing their current efforts on the newer OLED models of the Steam Deck, and they’re looking to streamline their inventory, so the 64 and 512GB LCD Steam Deck are being liquidated until September 26th.

The sale isn’t as huge as 50% or anything, but it’s pretty significant. The 64GB model is 15% off at $296.65 instead of $349, and the 512GB model is 25% off at $336.75 instead of $449. Admittedly, with only about $40 in price difference, there’s not much point in getting the 64GB model. The 512GB obviously has more storage, but it also has premium anti-glare etched glass. Other than that, they are practically identical.

But why get one at all, right? The OLED is a superior Steam Deck, with a bigger screen, HDR capability, bigger battery, and more. Yes, the on-sale LCD is a lot cheaper (the discounted 512GB LCD is $336 while the 512GB OLED is $549), but a few hundred bucks more isn’t that hard to scrounge up for most people. I can’t deny that the OLED is the superior device, but even so, for some people, I think the discounted LCD will be enough.

The LCD Will Be a Great Introductory Gaming Device

Lots of kids are gamers along with many of their parents. You’ve only got a few options for handheld consoles today, and the discounted LCD Steam Deck is definitely one of the most affordable right now. If you know a young gamer who is slated to receive their first gaming console as a present, the LCD Steam Deck is a great choice, and not just because it’s affordable.

If you have a Steam library of games already, you can share all of those games with others now that Steam Families is out of beta. This means you’re giving someone a console that already has games available: you won’t have to buy a bunch of new titles to come with the gift as well.

If you’ve got a young gamer in your life dying to finally have something of their own, they aren’t going to care that the LCD has a slightly smaller screen than the OLED or that it isn’t HDR. As the gift buyer, you’ll definitely appreciate having saved several hundred dollars on your gift. It doesn’t have to be a present either: even for yourself, this is an affordable opportunity to enter the world of handheld PC gaming.

The LCD Can Serve as a Fantastic Emulation Machine

Running a virtual GameBoy on your phone, a PlayStation 2 on your computer, is great, but on a Steam Deck it really comes into its own. Emulation is one of the best ways to enjoy all of those old-school games from your childhood without having to buy the actual hardware those games ran on. You don’t need the LCD Steam Deck to emulate most old games, but it’s a great candidate for it.

Sure, you can use your phone to emulate a GameBoy or a PSP, but the controls will be virtual and on your screen unless you buy an external accessory. Plus, the small screen of your phone won’t be ideal for emulating some platforms, like the Nintendo DS. The Steam Deck is just a perfect platform for emulation, and the LCD is just as good as the OLED in this regard.

Old-school platforms like the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, GameBoy, and others are not nearly demanding enough to require high-level machine specs. They’ll run just as smoothly on the LCD as they will on the OLED, and both Steam Decks have physical controls and analog sticks, which are perfect for emulating any platform that used analog sticks themselves.

So, if you’re a gamer who’d love to take a trip down memory lane with the games you cherished from childhood, and you want a portable console that can bring those memories back to you, the discounted LCD is affordable and capable: plus you can still play all of your Steam games on it! Just remember to source your ROMs and ISOs legally.

The LCD Steam Deck is Good Enough for Most Games

There’s no denying that the Steam Deck OLED looks better than the LCD, and it has better specs. However, if you just want a way to play PC games on the go and don’t care much about settings, the LCD is more than enough. Especially at its discounted price point.

Besides, although it’s not very easy and generally left to techies with a bit of know-how, it is technically possible to upgrade some parts of your Steam Deck, like the storage size and RAM. So the LCD you got at a great price can be improved beyond what it is if you know what you’re doing with it. At worst, if you decide to upgrade to the OLED later, you can give your LCD to someone else so you can play games together!

The Steam Deck LCD might not be as polished as the OLED, but it’s still a very capable portable gaming PC, and since the 64 and 512GB models are being liquidated, right now it is the cheapest you will ever be able to buy them from Valve. Bear in mind, you’ve only got a few days to act: this big sale is only lasting until September 26th at 10AM Pacific Time, so nab a Steam Deck LCD while you still can!