The anti-glare is definitely worth it and it’s also very noticeable outside. The other option is that you could just upgrade the screen from ifixit if you’re also going to be upgrading your storage anyways.
All versions of the deck allow you to upgrade the SSD. There’s actually a lot more vendors selling 2230 nvme drives now. I’d recommend staying away from SABRENT Rocket since their support is nonexistent and they also have a high failure rate. The Corsair MP600 mini and Micron 2400 is a better option.
There’s tools you can use to verify the disk is right. It’s smart to do so before you put it in the deck if you have access to a computer. Just get a cheapest enclosure.
Does the eMMC version allow installing an NVMe drive?
Yes, the only hardware difference between the different version is really only the screen and the drive it comes with. You can technically buy the 64GB version and replace the screen with an anti-glare one at a later date, as it can be bought as a spare part for not much.
Personally I got the 64GB some time ago and am still happy enough with just an SD-card with good speed and decent size. I suspect that will change down the line, but right now I’m happy.
You can just buy an aftermarket anti-glare screen. They are cheap.
You can change the SSD by yourself but you’ll lose waranty. There’s a noticeable speed difference between the eMMC and NVMe versions. There’s no noticeable speed difference between the NVMe versions.
IMHO if can afford it and have a few technical skills buy the little one and install one of these. You might even want to wrap it in one these (there’s a real leather option too) or these or replace the joysticks with these (can’t get drift and have a much smaller deadzone).
You can change the SSD by yourself but you’ll lose waranty.
Just a FYI, but changing the SSD will not void your warranty. There are two cases you can void your warranty: 1) by opening up your Steam Deck you damage something. 2) you no longer have the original SSD (Keep it safe, because you’ll need to put it back when you send it to Valve). Valve have been rather chill about the whole SSD change.
The eMMC one does support installing an NVMe drive, and from what I’ve seen the Deck can’t really support more than PCIe 3.0 speeds. If you find a good deal on a PCIe 4.0 or 5.0 drive it will still work but there’s no reason to spend extra on a newer drive.
The anti glare screen is amazing in sunlight. However, if you are like me and have very light coloured eyes, you probably also rely on sunglasses. The anti glare screen will not be compatible with polarized sunglasses. You will not be able to see a single thing.
Removed by mod
The anti-glare is definitely worth it and it’s also very noticeable outside. The other option is that you could just upgrade the screen from ifixit if you’re also going to be upgrading your storage anyways.
All versions of the deck allow you to upgrade the SSD. There’s actually a lot more vendors selling 2230 nvme drives now. I’d recommend staying away from SABRENT Rocket since their support is nonexistent and they also have a high failure rate. The Corsair MP600 mini and Micron 2400 is a better option.
Removed by mod
There’s tools you can use to verify the disk is right. It’s smart to do so before you put it in the deck if you have access to a computer. Just get a cheapest enclosure.
Removed by mod
Yes, the only hardware difference between the different version is really only the screen and the drive it comes with. You can technically buy the 64GB version and replace the screen with an anti-glare one at a later date, as it can be bought as a spare part for not much.
Personally I got the 64GB some time ago and am still happy enough with just an SD-card with good speed and decent size. I suspect that will change down the line, but right now I’m happy.
Oh and the carrying/storage case it comes with seems to be different for the 512GB version. Not sure about the 256GB version though.
Removed by mod
Personally I just got an anti-glare screen protector and called it a day
You can just buy an aftermarket anti-glare screen. They are cheap.
You can change the SSD by yourself but you’ll lose waranty. There’s a noticeable speed difference between the eMMC and NVMe versions. There’s no noticeable speed difference between the NVMe versions.
IMHO if can afford it and have a few technical skills buy the little one and install one of these. You might even want to wrap it in one these (there’s a real leather option too) or these or replace the joysticks with these (can’t get drift and have a much smaller deadzone).
Just a FYI, but changing the SSD will not void your warranty. There are two cases you can void your warranty: 1) by opening up your Steam Deck you damage something. 2) you no longer have the original SSD (Keep it safe, because you’ll need to put it back when you send it to Valve). Valve have been rather chill about the whole SSD change.
Any of those said aftermarket screens you could recommend?
Agree on the NVMe bit, only reason why I took the 256GB intermediate aside from the fact that extra space gave me some breathing room off the bat
I can snag a better NVMe on sale down the road
Great tips all round, will be snagging those sticks you shared
You can get really fast SD cards these days and it supports installing games on either.
Removed by mod
The eMMC one does support installing an NVMe drive, and from what I’ve seen the Deck can’t really support more than PCIe 3.0 speeds. If you find a good deal on a PCIe 4.0 or 5.0 drive it will still work but there’s no reason to spend extra on a newer drive.
Removed by mod
I don’t think a device like SteamDeck benefits from PCIe 4 speeds. Increased power consumption feels not worth it.
Removed by mod
The anti glare screen is amazing in sunlight. However, if you are like me and have very light coloured eyes, you probably also rely on sunglasses. The anti glare screen will not be compatible with polarized sunglasses. You will not be able to see a single thing.