Valve's Steam Deck OLED Fixed the Input Lag Issue? Here's What Tests Saw

The latest Steam Deck OLED is now here, and it brought a significant refresh to the renowned 2022 console which refashioned portable gaming consoles alongside the Nintendo Switch. Valve promised the world significant improvements with the new handheld, especially with its OLED screen that outputs better picture and frame rate, with the latest report centering on input lag.

Reports are now delivering the results of their tests, and this alone highlights what the Steam Deck OLED offers you, especially those looking to buy the new handheld.

Valve Steam Deck OLED Fixed Input Lag Issues?

Digital Foundry has reported the latest findings in their test to determine if Valve has answered their input lag issues with the latest Steam Deck OLED, the refresh to its portable console. In their testing, they centered on reflex-heavy games while using NVIDIA's Latency and Display Analysis Tools to test the input lag for the console, centering on connectable hardware.

It centered on the games Doom Eternal and Crysis 3 Remastered, and the report tested the mouse clicks and how they respond to in-game actions and control. According to the report, Doom Eternal saw as much as 26.1 ms, and Crysis 3 Remastered with 32.5 ms reduction in their input time compared to the original Steam Deck, noting the 90 Hz upgraded screen.

Is the Steam Deck OLED Worth It?

It was added that even when both games we set to run at 60fps, there are still significant improvements in its input lag, with Ars Technica noting that lower frame rates offer better speeds, above 20 ms. Input lag can make or break a game, especially if the device is capable of undertaking the command of the gamer, with the Steam Deck OLED adding this to its long list of improvements for this $549 new release.

Valve's Steam Deck OLED

Refreshing a handheld console via a new release and offering it with an OLED screen is something we have seen before, and it is with 2021's release from Nintendo with the Switch OLED that debuted its signature white colors. It initially went against the original Steam Deck unveiled by Valve two years ago, with both consoles featuring different offers for gamers.

However, Valve succumbed to this kind of refresh for its console to feature the Steam Deck OLED with the upgraded screen, with the company promising more improvements than its display alone. The company claimed early this November that the console is set to be on sale by the 16th, with the handheld gaming device capable of offering better battery life and performance.

The Steam Deck OLED remains a fixed console, and it is unlike the Nintendo Switch and the Lenovo Legion GO which offers removable controllers, with peripherals and accessories playing a massive role in the experience. As far as tests go, Valve aced the input lag improvement for the Steam Deck OLED, offering a more significant experience for less response on user controls.