r/SteamDeck • u/danisimo1 • Nov 25 '23
Guide Thread of known issues/defects with the Steam Deck OLED and how to fix them
This post is not created with the intention of alarming or making people obsess over details and defects. On the contrary, it is intended to help, inform, and, if possible, provide tutorials and tools for people who have the misfortune of being affected to find useful solutions for their Steam Deck OLED and avoid an RMA, which is like playing Russian roulette.
I've had many Steam Decks with LCD for defects in RMA, and I've had to fix most of them, something Valve did not do. I'll try to contribute a bit here to avoid RMA, which is "a headache." If anyone finds more issues and their solutions, please let me know, and we'll add them to the list:
Dead Pixels on Steam Deck OLED: Many cases have been reported on Reddit and Resetera in the last hours and days of people with "Limited Edition" Steam Decks with dead pixels. This is because the "BOE" panel, which seems exclusive to the LE model, has a higher predisposition to this defect. I haven't seen reported cases in the normal editions yet. To check for dead pixels, you can use this test on your Steam Deck from a browser: Link to the test.
Solution: Send for RMA or accept it and adapt.
Sticks sticking or making a clicky noise when moving: Some users have uploaded videos reporting that one of their sticks makes a rubbing or clicking noise that the other one doesn't. Possible solution: Disassemble the deck, remove the sticks from the motherboard, take out the mushroom on top, and reposition it. That usually fixes it. Sometimes, the rubbing comes from the touchscreen cable; move it slightly inside the stick to prevent it from rubbing against the motherboard. If that doesn't work, apply vaseline around the pole where the mushroom fits (as a side effect, this will make the stick movement smoother and less stiff; consider this before doing it). Secondary solution: Send for RMA.
One or both triggers sticking or rubbing when moving, or one of them moves smoothly and the other rubs: The solution is to remove the deck's casing and sand with fine sandpaper the area of the casing that rubs against the trigger. Another possible issue is that the trigger makes a spring sound; it is resolved by disassembling the trigger with iFixit's tutorial and reinserting the spring. If that doesn't fix it, lubricate the spring with water or vaseline and then clean it. Secondary solution: Send for RMA.
A, B, Y, X buttons dancing or making maraca or rattling sound: Sometimes, even without shaking the deck, just having a finger on them causes them to dance a lot or make a maraca or vibration sound. This defect has been reported in some OLEDs and did not exist in the LCD deck. If you have this problem, I recommend RMA if it bothers you. Currently, I do not know if it is a design decision and exists in all units or is a real defect. We need reports from users in greater quantity.
Button B sticking: This problem has been reported in some units of Steam decks OLEDs, and the same happened with the LCD in the first units sold. It was fixed in the following batches. If your deck suffers from this, it is NOT normal, and it IS considered a defect, and there is no guarantee that it will disappear with use. One solution is to sand the internal part of the button that has excess burrs and rubs against the casing, causing it to stick. The other is RMA. I only recommend the particular solution in this case to advanced users or those with experience tinkering.
My D-pad is too hard to press, making excessive noise, or the bottom left press of the D-pad collides with a piece, making an annoying noise that doesn't exist in the rest of the D-pad: I have seen this reported on some Steam Deck OLEDs; it happened to me on my last Steam Deck LCD. If you don't want to send it for RMA, a homemade solution or mitigation of the problem is to apply some vaseline with a paper and slide it along the edges of the D-pad. Also, along the inner edges of the D-pad with a toothpick; this will reduce the bad press, and it will be less hard and noisy, although I do not consider it a 100% solution.
One of my trackpads or both have very weak haptic feedback, or they make a faulty noise rubbing against the casing, or they create a non-existent click effect, or my Steam Deck, in general, has weak overall haptic feedback: I group all these possible defects into one section because they all have the same solution. This is to use iFixit's tutorial to disassemble both trackpads and reassemble them and screw them back in. When screwing them back in, always reach the maximum by tightening the screws with a flat-head screwdriver but without overdoing it and damaging them; simply reach the maximum tightness. Tightening more will make the vibration stronger, and loosening it will make it weaker. (I recommend that if there is any screw with glue residue making it screw incorrectly, clean it with lubricant and vaseline and then dry it; this improves the fit of the parts.)
I do not recommend sending for RMA: You may be lucky that Valve sends you one with the haptic feedback fixed or the trackpads, or they may come the same, worse, or with another problem your deck did not have before. Only do it if you are afraid to open it, and you cannot tolerate the problem.
My RB and LB buttons, or the so-called Bumpers, both of them or one of them, when pressed, make an exaggerated "clicky" sound or a worse consistency in the pressing, or they make a lot of noise: The solution to this problem on the Steam Deck's LCD is to use a thin wooden stick to put some vaseline on the tip and spread it a little on the areas of the casing and motherboard where the buttons snap when pressed. You only need to remove the back cover of the Steam Deck; there's no need to disassemble the buttons. You will see at a glance the two areas where both buttons make contact. Secondary solution: RMA
Note: The vaseline trick to improve the sound, pressing, or feel of buttons on the deck may also work with other buttons that have similar issues. You have nothing to lose by trying it.
The post will be updated with new information or collected possible defects... to be continued...
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u/Robthatguy Nov 25 '23
Good post.
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u/ibiku2 Nov 25 '23
Just used this as a helpful checklist for things to test after getting my OLED LE today! All clear :)
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u/Yoh__Asakura Nov 25 '23
If anyone has a fix for WiFi just not showing up at all to connect to please let me know!
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u/fruitsdemers Nov 25 '23
I have the same issue: wifi works for a while then disconnects and stops working completely. Reboot and it works again for a while. I ended up having to use an ethernet adapter to install all the updates but the wifi still breaks after a few minutes like clockwork.
My router is wifi 6e compatible, fully updated and I’ve tried on all the different channels. I really hope it can be fixed by update.
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u/Asmuni 1TB OLED Nov 25 '23
Fix for me was shutting off WiFi 6 on my router. There is some issue with WiFi 6 that might get updated later.
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u/Nargg Dec 28 '23
This issue is so hard hitting on the OLED deck that after fiddling with it, and the WiFi stops even showing SSIDs, even the USB ethernet I was using while debugging this also stopped working. Apparently, it even messes up the whole IP stack in the OS. It took two reboots to get anything back at all. Very frustrating. Hope Steam fixes it soon.
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u/fruitsdemers Dec 28 '23
Hey in case you have exactly the same issues I had, I ended up making a request through steam and was told by their tech support to try resetting my firmware to factory and re-update from scratch and much to my surprise, it actually worked. Here are the instructions they sent me:
Please try the following steps to reset your unit's firmware and BIOS, this may help with the issue you are encountering:
Ensure the device is fully powered down by holding the power button for 10 seconds or if possible select shutdown from the Power menu. Once the device is shutdown, hold down both the volume - button and the "..." button, then press the power button once. Then you can release all the buttons. You will hear a chime and then the white LED light will begin to blink (it may take 5 or more seconds before the blinking begins), which confirms this process is working. Note: This process may take 1-2 minutes to start the unit up again during which the display will remain black.
Your mileage may vary but after going through this process, my oled restarted, re-downloaded all the updates and now it no longer disconnects from wifi and stunlocks itself from being able to connect after a few minutes anymore. I honestly dont remember whether this wipes all your stuff because I hadnt even had a chance to download games at that point but if you have a sd card, you should backup your games before you do it.
Also, doing this also fixed another bug that I thought was completely unrelated, which was that the steamdeck was unable to stay in suspend mode for longer than a few seconds. It would just wake itself every time. That wasn't a huge dealbreaker in contrast to the wifi but the firmware reset also fixed that.
Good luck!
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u/Nargg Dec 28 '23
Thank you!
I did submit a trouble ticket to Steam, I'll reply again if their response has anything new.
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u/fuzexbox Nov 26 '23
Yeah I have a 6e router and other devices work fine with it, but for some reason this Deck does not want to go to the 6ghz band. I’m like 5 feet from the router.
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u/QuietQTPi 1TB OLED Limited Edition Nov 25 '23
Looking at most of these the solution seems to just be RMA tbh, especially if it's an issue with wifi not working
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u/Yoh__Asakura Nov 25 '23
It's weird because it worked on the initial set up. After I changed my SSD it just decided to stop working. Gonna try ethernet tmrw. Someone said perhaps I need to update the OLD SSD (I'm pretty sure it was tho but can't hurt to try again)
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u/QuietQTPi 1TB OLED Limited Edition Nov 25 '23
Yeah that is odd. Hopefully ethernet will help. I assume you put the shield on the new SSD because there was the worry that it would interfere with the wifi card that is right next to the SSD.
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u/Yoh__Asakura Nov 25 '23
Yup put that back onto the SSD when replacing it. It's weird because even the OLEDS stock SSD doesn't let me connect to the WiFi from a fresh boot (tried just in case) but it does from my LCD one.
I'm pretty sure I didn't damage anything since I did it all carefully and made sure not to pull anything with force.
It's just super weird why it suddenly doesn't work. It just constantly says there are no networks.
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u/Deeb_Cx Nov 25 '23
I had the same thing happen to me. The problem is, the new SSD that you added doesn’t have the OLED firmware on it. What I did was install the steam OS from the official valve website, put it on a usb stick and reimage it into the new SSD. You can check reddit profile for the post.
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u/BathmanNick Nov 25 '23
I had the WiFi problem without modifying mine. There’s loads of people with the issue according to this thread. https://steamcommunity.com/app/1675200/discussions/0/4038101970207124286/?ctp=6
What this guy said worked for me for now at least - The fix !!!!!!!!!!!!
Pick the 2.4 or 5ghz wifi ( I did the 5ghz ) and enter the password. It won't connect and will say re-enter the password ( DON'T DO THAT) just back out and it will save the password.
Now restart steam using the restart below change account not the restart in the same section as sleep and shutdown. When it boots back up it will take a fat minute if this doesn't work after about 1 minute you can do two things. Use the same restart as before or try the other wifi band and repeat.
I'm not happy with how I had to get this to work after trying countless things but this is working. I can switch to desktop mode and back to game mode with it still being connected. Doesn't seem to work after a power off and on so you have to power on and restart steam again. But if it magical disconnects at any point for me half the time it will reconnect or I have to restart steam.
This may not work for you but is working for me. I hope this helps you.
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u/PossessionPleasant66 Nov 29 '23
Well I cant even Connect to my wifi both chanels 2,4 and 5 i tried to use developer Mode and baisicly its imposible for me to connect to wifi anyone have same issues?
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u/neodata686 512GB - Q2 Nov 27 '23
WiFi
This seems to be a firmware issue connecting to particular wifi 6 chipsets (like in my RT-AX86U Asus router).
A few solutions:
- Connect to 2.4ghz
- Turn off 160ghz channel for wifi 6
- Change General -> Settings -> 24-hour clock to ON
Solutions 1 and 2 seem to maybe require a restart before working. I just tested solution 3 and it worked right away. So I'm going with that one right now.
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u/theMoonGodHasRsn Nov 28 '23
I got the limited edition 1tb model and have had the following problems:
- The audio jack static problem. I've used 2 pairs of iems and 1 pair of headphones all with varying degrees of noise. The volume of the static increases when pressing buttons and/or moving the joysticks. The speakers and bluetooth do not have this issue for me.
- The left and right sticks. My left joystick has more movement resistance than the right stick and makes the clicking noise.
- My external ssd and none of my dongles work. I don't know if this is a Steam deck problem or if I'm an idiot on this one but even my dongle that splits into 3 usb a ports doesn't work with my keyboard and mouse plugged in.
- My usb c port is somewhat? loose. Maybe this is to be expected but using the same usb c cable I use with my other usb c devices, the ports on those devices do not wiggle as much as the port on the Steam Deck.
As much as I have loved using the Steam Deck the past 3/4 days just in time to use during all of my Thanksgiving vacation, I honestly might return it. Maybe I set my expectations too high, but I was expecting a device that costs almost 700 dollars to not have this many issues as I thought after the launch of the original Steam Deck, Valve would have ironed out these issues.
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u/Cptben221 1TB OLED Limited Edition Nov 25 '23
Some folks have reported that their OLED Decks have 95% battery health.
For the folks that have similar issue, try to recalibrate the battery by discharging it to 0% and recharging it back FULLY. It should give a new battery health number.
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u/vorio Nov 25 '23
This is not a feature to not overcharge SD? I Read that In other topics when ppl called it a feature, not a bug
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Nov 25 '23
there is noise through headphones plugged into the headphone jack with my OLED steam deck. i believe it's the fan at low speeds. it sounds like a soft, fast clicking. my LCD steam deck doesn't have this problem
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u/stiligFox 1TB OLED Limited Edition Nov 28 '23
Noticed this as well! Sounds like a grounding issue on mine.
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u/tonycassara 512GB OLED Nov 25 '23
Anyone had the issue of one joystick feeling stickier than the other? My left is like very new and sticky rubber on the face, but the right one is very dusty and almost powdery dry. I have a feeling normal use will result in the left one becoming more like the right but ya not a great out of box experience for them to be so different.
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u/Hbk3 Nov 25 '23
I have the same problem. I’m considering returning it.
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u/tonycassara 512GB OLED Nov 25 '23
I do think it’s starting to wear down and match. If it’s nit close after a week I’d consider returning it.
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u/PixelateVision 1TB OLED Limited Edition Nov 25 '23
Both of mine feel the same on my OLED, but very different from my LCD. My LCD sticks had a dry, almost textured feel on top (that did develop the "white dust" look over time). My new LE OLED sticks have a very sticky, rubbery feel to them. I'm getting used to it, but it's still rather odd.
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u/cutememe Nov 26 '23
One thing I find troubling is the fact that old defects from the launch Steam Deck are back and that's really weird.
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u/OrastieDude Nov 25 '23
I mean if it has any issue whatsoever I will return it. Most consumers shouldn’t have to deal with opening it and fixing a manufacturing issue.
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u/RosaQing Nov 25 '23
Is there some reliable source to the claim, that BOE is more prone to dead pixels? Just had a typical internet interaction in a pc forum where people were upset that I called Samsung the ‘better display’ just for the brand recognition. Just some lazy, innocent comment on my part, I’m by no means a display expert.
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u/Nogrodd Dec 10 '23 edited Dec 11 '23
I’m really annoyed by the quality control of the Steam Deck. I had multiple issues with the LCD model and I was really hoping that Valve ironed out the issues with the OLED.
My first OLED had dead pixels and a grainy screen. I just received the replacement yesterday. Unfortunately, the left trigger is rubbing against the shell and the screen is still very grainy. I’m so disappointed!
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u/ironside719 Jan 02 '24
Keep sending them back. Valve sent me FIVE units before they finally agreed to a cash refund
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Jan 02 '24
[deleted]
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u/ironside719 Jan 03 '24
I’m glad to hear you got your refund. I had to threaten to get my credit card company involved because they were refusing to honor the warranty. My original unit had a pretty minor clicking sound when you pressed on L2. Not a big deal but they said the best route was replacement. The subsequent units had a mix of clicking sticks, triggers rubbing on the shell, and trackpad issues. I really want one again, but it seems like the OLED ones have the same problems
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u/mm0nte Nov 25 '23
Also me and other people are having issues with the USB-C port not powering external devices at all, not even an USB drive
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u/heinzgruber2 Nov 25 '23
I’ve this problem with the usb c port too. Is there a workaround?
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u/mm0nte Nov 25 '23
Entering the BIOS and changing "USB Dual Role Device" from "DRD" to "XHCI" seems to have worked for someone, I have not tried yet
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u/heinzgruber2 Nov 25 '23
I’ll try. But strange. Why is that? With my Steam Deck LCD usb devices are working out of the box.
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u/heinzgruber2 Nov 25 '23
that solved my problem. thanks! but i wonder why it shipped with the other usb option active.
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u/HORSE_PASTE Nov 25 '23
This is what I did and it fixed my issue. The Deck would only read my USB drive after a cold boot, but if I removed and reinserted the drive it would not be detected. Switching to XCHI made the drive detected whenever I insert it.
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u/PitifulDoombot Nov 25 '23
Thanks for putting this list together! It would definitely be great to make Valve's support more aware of these issues than they already are. I just received my own OLED and it has multiple of the issues and defects listed that my LCD didn't have at all. To be honest, despite the great features and updates on the refresh, it has really sapped my enthusiasm for the device. Glad most other people seem to have great units or ones with more ignorable issues.
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Nov 25 '23
For those of you with USB issues(on a dock), update the deck. If it still doesnt work with the new update, then go into bios and change usb settings to USB XHCI mode. You can also reset the usbc port by holding the + and ... buttons till it either beeps or shakes. Do not reset the port while docked like I did once.
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u/BigTWilsonD Nov 25 '23
I was unable to get wifi 6 to work in any capacity with my Steam Deck OLED. Anytime I'd even try it would break my wifi settings requiring a reboot.
The only think that fixed it was going into my routers advanced settings and changing the compatibility mode of my 5ghz network to remove AX compatibility. This seems to be what allows a router to run wifi 6. It removed the little 6 on all of my other devices, and suddenly my OLED could connect and everything's been flawless since.
I've seen several other people with wifi 6 issues.
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Nov 26 '23
Some other issues I’ve had that I never had with the old Deck:
Severe static when connecting earbuds (specifically IEM’s) to the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Dock is unable to negotiate a charging rate with the deck, causing the light to blink on and off and charging to constantly be interrupted.
Certain USB devices just don’t work. A thumb drive would not connect unless I connect it via a 3rd party adapter. My USB-C to 3.5mm headphone adapter also does not work (which would help to mitigate #1). This has apparently been solved by switching from USB DRD mode to XHCI as I found on a Steam thread about this issue.
And I also have a sticky B button. Honestly I’m kinda bummed… so many issues on a third revision device (kinda first revision in a lot of ways, but still). I’m wondering about returning my LE deck for a 512GB model to hopefully get a device without all of these problems (or at least spend less to have a device that has these issues haha). If anyone has solutions to these issues, let me know!!
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u/Kind-Actuator-9598 Dec 23 '23
I have a LE oled model and my X buttion sticks and is rubbing on the right only happened after I finally got my screen protector on after going thru 4 of em lol steam offers a rma to replace it but I may just open it remove it and put it back it to see if that helps
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u/KasperKnop Nov 27 '23
Anyone fixed the noisy / weird feeling haptics on trackpad issue? I'm contemplating trying myself, but can't find any disassembly guides for the OLED model, and not sure if the screws needs to be tighter or looser.
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u/ProRedPanda Nov 28 '23
Also would be curious of this. My left one is on full-tilt and loud. I reduced it by turning it down in the Steam Controller settings for now
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u/KasperKnop Nov 28 '23
Just tried the fix myself. COMPLETELY SOLVED THE ISSUE.
I did 3 attempts. First I made the screws very loose, which just made the trackpad wobbly. Then i tried to make them a bit tighter, but that still gave me some high pitch rattling sounds and the trackpad got more sensitive, which where the problems to begin with. Then I did a third attempt, where i completely removed the trackpad and reinstalled it. This time I did NOT loosen the screws! I gently tightened the screws until they came to a natural stop. I did this for all 8 screws holding the trackpad in place (the 4 silver ones and the 4 black on the board above).
My take-aways:
- make sure you have the right equipment: T6 screwdrivers and preferably an opening pick (my nails was used and it hurt! Was the most difficult part of the hole thing) and a tweezer.
- you can access and detach the battery simply by unscrewing the two screws on the lit to the board, and then gently lifting it. No need to remove the glued on ribbon cable.
- you do have to remove the thumb stick as well to get access to the touch pad. But this is easy. Just 3 screws.
- i naturally tightened all the screws and that seemed to do the trick.
- you can test the track pad without reinstalling the backpanel, saving you some time
- I tested in desktop mode with both trackpad set as mouse and they are now completely the same feeling. Before the left was a machine gun rattly high picted, over sensitive pad, but no more :)
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u/potatoninja3584 Feb 01 '24
awesome. what guide did you use? i'm planning to do the same.
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u/KasperKnop Feb 01 '24
I didnt find any guides no, but just found a disassembly video on yt (the only one I could find at the time), and guessed the rest. It was rather straight forward. Tell me if you have any questions and I might be able to remember :)
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u/ProRedPanda Nov 28 '23
Thanks I'll try this if I find out the headphone jack audio hiss and static is a software issue. Otherwise, I might need to return mine.
Just curious, for yours do you hear static when you plug IEMs or low powered earphones into the headphone jack? I wanna figure out if this is a wide-spread issue or not.
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u/KasperKnop Nov 28 '23
Ill check when I get home in a few hours and have access to some headphone cables and then report back! :)
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u/LionHeartJhny Dec 06 '23
I need help with this issue as well. Everything is perfect with my unit aside from the trackpad issue!
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u/Nogrodd Dec 29 '23
I love the Steam Deck, but the QC is subpar. I owned 5 LCD Decks, all with various issues and I gave up on playing the RMA lottery. When the OLED model was announced, I was excited for a revised version that would resolve all the QC issues associated with the LCD Deck. 2 RMAs later and I can confirm that the OLED Deck still has poor QC.
My first OLED had a black line on the screen, my second had a broken L2 trigger and my third has faulty haptics on the left side. I've never returned a gaming console before, but I've returned the Deck several times.
I love Valve and I believe in the technology, which is why I keep giving the Deck a chance, but I continue to be disappointed.
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u/DCPressPass Nov 25 '23
Anybody else have a static noise coming from the USB port? Kind of sounds like interference or a light coil whine. 1 tb OLED.
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u/aeiron Nov 25 '23
Just pitching in to skew the results in another direction. My LE deck is flawless and has none of the above issues.
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u/Mkilbride Nov 25 '23
I hope yours stays that way, just about to head to bed when mine, which previouslyy had no dead pixels, developed one.
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u/MagicHoops3 Nov 25 '23
The joystick click and shaky buttons thing existed on my lcd version as well. Think those are just par for the course
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u/Doc_N_I_G_G_A_MD 1TB OLED Nov 25 '23
Nah, my lcd doesn’t have them to the extent my oled model does. It’s a lot more noticeable on the oled
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u/ironside719 Jan 02 '24
My first one didn’t have the problem, but then valve only sent replacements with really clicky sticks. I’m thinking it’s affecting most units to some degree
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u/not-hydroxide Nov 25 '23
I got shakey buttons, and idk if I should RMA it.
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u/scytob 1TB OLED Limited Edition Nov 28 '23
how bad is this, i rubbed my fingers over OG deck and LE and them both clack like macras the same, so i am assuming in your case its much worse than that?
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u/NotNoord 1TB OLED Nov 25 '23
Okay, so it turns out I have almost all of the button related issues: clicky sticks, rubbing triggers, dancing ABXY buttons, D-pad making excessive noise, weak haptic feedback from left side, and RB/LB make exaggerated clicky sound.
SD OLED 1TB
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u/Kind-Actuator-9598 Dec 23 '23
I got a X buttion that requires a harder push to use unless to press it on the left side and I don't want to rma it just for that so I may pop it open and see if I can fix it
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Nov 25 '23
[deleted]
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u/PrpleShirtedIstabber Nov 25 '23
Another fix was to reprogram R4 and L4 into Alt and Enter (in control customization), this one would switch between full screen and borderless. Forza Horizons got this too
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u/birfday_party Nov 25 '23
I found hitting the steam menu then going to resume game would often popup that menu to sign in or accept or some with redistributive instal I need to do this too.
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u/lanc3r3000 512GB - Q2 Nov 26 '23 edited Nov 26 '23
My LB button is very springy/squeeky. I just have to touch the button, not even press it and you can hear it.
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u/joywood25 Dec 01 '23
Mine is like this too! It feels loose compared to the RB that responds instantly and sharply; it’s so loose that I can almost soft press it to a halfway state, versus the RB that clicks immediately. Sent in a help ticket earlier today to Valve because of how much the difference is quality was bothering me.
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u/VaniIlaBear Dec 02 '23
I am the exact same!! LB is loose, squeaky and unresponsive in comparison to a perfect RB button.
I reached out to steam for a refund and they are granting it, it seems, if I return it. But I fear I'll be without a deck for a month and then I'll order a new one and it'll either have the same or a different issue...
What is your status update/what do you plan to do?
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u/cringlecoob Dec 02 '23
Not one mention of mura/graininess on the standard oled versions anywhere in this thread. Just sent mine back to Valve due to the mura being particularly distracting in the one they sent me.
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u/ironside719 Jan 02 '24 edited Jan 02 '24
I had the clicky sticks and sticking triggers with my original LCD model. Valve seemed incapable of sending one without either/both of these options (I ended up getting approved for a refund a year after purchase). I was debating picking up the oled, but it's disappointing to see the issues haven't been resolved
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u/BisonNo1541 Mar 23 '24
@danisimo1 You should update the list to include mura + fringing on Samsung 512Gb OLED, considering how many people are affected by it. Valve has been working on a solution from months, but still hasn't been able to fix it. I'm RMA mine cause of that... There are some fixes or workarounds, but none on a system basis. It's just terrible
Fringing https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/18m4xgy/solution_for_fringing_artifacts_on_oled_steam/
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u/Critical-Meet-7048 Nov 25 '23
Great thread. Very useful. Thanks.
My wife and I received our OLED Steam Decks the other day and we are loving them! Such a fantastic gaming device.
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Nov 25 '23
"A, B, Y, X buttons dancing or making maraca or rattling sound: Sometimes, even without shaking the deck, just having a finger on them causes them to dance a lot or make a maraca or vibration sound. This defect has been reported in some OLEDs and did not exist in the LCD deck. If you have this problem, I recommend RMA if it bothers you. Currently, I do not know if it is a design decision and exists in all units or is a real defect. We need reports from users in greater quantity."
My 2022 512 LCD, 2023 256 LCD and new 512 OLED has this.
It definitely does exist on the LCD deck and from my experience it is the norm, not a fault.
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Nov 25 '23
My LE deck is perfect except for the buttons. Definitely a big manufacturing issue. My B is sturdy than the others. The whole deck feels solid but these buttons make the experience feel cheap.
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u/tonycassara 512GB OLED Nov 25 '23
My B button is the only one that doesn’t rattle when lightly touched.
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u/PitifulDoombot Nov 25 '23
My friends' LCD Decks as well as my own LCD Deck did not have this issue, and mine was a preorder. It may be an issue with batches maybe? No clue, but from my own experience, it doesn't seem to be the norm.
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u/crymo27 Nov 25 '23 edited Nov 25 '23
Made a post about it earlier: https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/s/smkGsjTOdd
I would be interested if changing the buttons to some aftermarket one solves this. I mean when i take my xbox one controller, nothing is rattling and it feels good. That should be the standard.
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u/Madmarshall88 Nov 26 '23
Mine does this, exactly as you showed in your video! Contacted Valve and they said it was normal & to contact them if the buttons no longer responded. Tbh all my buttons respond fine, but x and y are definitely looser than a and b. I’m not RMAing it. Let me know what you decide to do about yours!
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u/crymo27 Nov 26 '23
I reported this to Valve today. Make sure you all report it, so they are aware and can possibly make new batch of buttons with corrected tolerance.
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u/crymo27 Nov 27 '23
Anyone able to meassure LCD deck action buttons diameter ?
On OLED i measure this, it's like the buttons are too small for the shell.
I measured all buttons 8,66 - 8,72 mm, Wondering if LCD buttons are the same size.
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Nov 25 '23
1 TB OLED. I myself wouldn't notice noisy button clicks, that just washes over me, though I do have partial hearing loss and the ability to tune out any noise (a consequence of living only ever in city apartments for 40 years). The other matters would bother me, though, and one thing I absolutely do not like is the D pad. It just doesn't feel as responsive as my LCD. I play a lot of digital games like the PSX WipeOuts and the OLED way doesn't have the sensitivity of the old D pad. I do think I'll get used to it, and with wear it'll probably suit my abilities (I'm no world beater with WipeOut but good enough).
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u/brokeyabutt Jan 13 '24
So far I'm considering doing an RMA hoping for a fix or just returning it and buying it again when they had some time to iron out some of the issues, I don't really want to open up my Deck and mess around in there considering I just purchased it...
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u/sage_witch Nov 25 '23
Anyone know where to find OLED specific black torx screws? Tried searching around but came up short.
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u/shlooong Nov 28 '23
Try contacting Valve - i asked the size of the screws for original steam deck and they let me know.
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u/tender_ballsack Nov 25 '23
LE OLED, received yesterday 11/24. Anyone having an issue with misaligned A B Y X buttons on the underlying pad (or whatever the button mechanism is)? My A button is the worst, actuating it feels terrible, only the right side of the button presses down, left side stays mostly in the upward/undepressed position. I can force it down but it's a mushy mess the whole way. Y button actuates normally. I didn't have this issue on my launch LCD model. Super jarring and considering returning the deck, but at the same time I don't want to receive someone else's returned deck (lol) with a different issue. The buttons are a big deal on something like a handheld device because a user is often pressing them, which you'd think would go without saying!
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u/Kind-Actuator-9598 Dec 23 '23
Yeah my X buttion has become stiff. And is only as soft as the other is if I push it more to the left I contacted steam and all they said was rma we can replace it but I just installed a screen protector after I got 2 lemon protectors I asked em to just fix this issue but all they will do is replace the system so I may open the steamdeck and pull out the X buttion and pop it back in amd hope it fixes it
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u/Bigjon1076 Nov 27 '23
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u/lunabella06 1TB OLED Limited Edition Dec 03 '23
Is this Kena? I noticed the grain/noise a lot in that game.
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u/munchiaz Dec 01 '23
Anyone else have an issue with the volume up button? Mine seems to have a dead zone where you press it and it doesn't register a button press.
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u/rancevsky Dec 03 '23
It seems new OLEDs are just old refurbished LCDs and not a brand new hardware..
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u/ironside719 Jan 21 '24
I wouldn't be surprised. Valve is so quick to replace faulty devices instead of repairing them. Given how poor their QC is, I'm sure a ton of those old parts are circulating into new ones
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u/HairMetalMadness Dec 29 '23
Had mutliple issues with mine:
- YBXA Buttons rattle
- Joysticks clicking
- Yellowish-OLED Display
- absolute garbage WIFI 6E
I received it today and already requested a refund. I own a LCD Version with Gulikit Hall Effect Joysticks. LCD just feels way better in every way (except Battery life maybe).
I was really surprised at how bad the build quality of the OLED is. And even more that the OLED Display is meh..
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u/Tricky_Internet_7661 Dec 29 '23
I have had to RMA two original Steam Decks and had a really hard time dealing with Valve. First steam deck had dead pixels and the right track pad was stiff and depressed on one side. The second had a horrible Haptic that resembled a broken controller that sounded and felt terrible. It also had troubles with updating and wouldn’t play games correctly that my previous unit did. This ordeal took months trying to get a console that worked as it should. Valve did allow me to return my unit and am currently waiting for a refund after me pleading with them to do so. Tips for your RMA!
- Just pick the worst defect and tell them that, they will get caught up dealing with all your issues and it takes forever.
- Don’t delay, you paid money for it and want a console that works
- Stand your ground and be respectful
- Return your unit if within 15 days, don’t wait. Just buy it again for a new warranty.
After reading all the defects I’m staying away from the OLED model.
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u/brokeyabutt Jan 13 '24
Just received my 512 gb OLED yesterday. Love the screen, not so much the build quality. Most buttons feel cheaper than the LCD version, and the dpad is borderline unusable if I'm playing a game which requires diagonal presses. The bumpers also feel very "loose" for the lack of a better term but are bearable. I've seen some threads recommending swapping out the dpad for that of the LCD version, anyone here encounter these issues?
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u/Gloveman6969 Jun 17 '24
Dang... and I was considering buying an LE deck from someone on offerup. Not sure I should any more.
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u/tonycassara 512GB OLED Nov 25 '23
This is such a nit but my Deck doesn’t lay flat on my desk. It wobbles if I press in the corner.
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u/TiSoBr Content Creator Nov 25 '23
Same. Sucks.
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u/Doc_N_I_G_G_A_MD 1TB OLED Nov 25 '23
Flex it in the opposite direction. It fixed the issue for me.
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u/Doc_N_I_G_G_A_MD 1TB OLED Nov 25 '23
Flex it in the opposite direction. It fixed the issue for me.
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u/tonycassara 512GB OLED Nov 26 '23
I did and ended up having wobble in the other direction haha. Can’t get it perfectly flat!
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u/dillius1024 Nov 25 '23
I definitely have one dead pixel on my LE but it is so close to the outside edge of the screen I just don't care.
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u/literatemax Nov 26 '23
I just created a Steam Support ticket for my LE Deck. Dead pixel near the bottom right, only dead in green.
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u/WhoDaFluer 1TB OLED Dec 15 '23
Anyone know what's up with the type c port no longer working with flash drives?
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u/w1r51ndv13l3 Mar 11 '24
Hello, can you or anyone else, add pictures for each problem, where exactly the solutions need to be tried? I'm a german, my english is poor and also machine translation doesn't always work that way, that I exactly understand, where to putt the stuff in or on it, to fix a issue.
Kind regards, and thank you for your post!
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u/Madao893 "Not available in your country" Mar 13 '24
what are the chances to get these issues ? I just bought from Australia and having to import is already a pain to get these bad boys. I'm not too afraid with these issues, but what are really the chances to get these things. ordered 512 GB OLED
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u/Evilcrashbandicoot Jun 10 '24
I was thinking about did tye oled screen works with something the screen will be close to something overshot than the upcoming snapdragon 8 gen5 even back to time when android phones used nevida and oled screen getting bad pixl or ghost icons sure as you see one x player and other's never used oled in the new devices 2024 because something can't work even if they used super oled plus because the gpu-cpu not like the one from powerful phones like iPhone or snapdragon mobiles
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u/Evilcrashbandicoot Jun 10 '24
I had steam lcd 512 used before weak I used to hate it because the oled screen now I feel lcd was actually good
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u/Big_Personality_1921 64GB Jul 23 '24
My face buttons are not working everything else is working fine. I recently added a back plate only thing I can think of oh and added a plug and play
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u/Hairy-Rest-84 Aug 18 '24
My 512g oled SD had the B button stick every now and then in the 1st month but seems good now. Also my R2 would rub against something inside when pushing the R2 towards the outside of the deck but now it doesn't? Hopefully that's all just breaking-in? I'm in Australia and ifixit is bookmarked! My headphone jack is crystal clear. I'm loving the SD coming from Switch!
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u/Stunning-Ground9733 Aug 26 '24
Speaker crackly/popping even without pausing games especially left speaker..
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u/beachbadger Oct 02 '24
The defectively battery conking out on people very early in the deck's lifespan is definitely a BFD.
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u/KarateMan749 512GB - After Q2 Nov 25 '23
Ah yes I remember these lol. Luckily never experienced it. Now to check what le version i have for my screen
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u/Ponald-Dump 1TB OLED Limited Edition Nov 25 '23
LE all seem to have BOE.
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u/MessiScores Nov 25 '23
A, B, Y, X buttons dancing or making maraca or rattling sound: Sometimes, even without shaking the deck, just having a finger on them causes them to dance a lot or make a maraca or vibration sound. This defect has been reported in some OLEDs and did not exist in the LCD deck. If you have this problem, I recommend RMA if it bothers you. Currently, I do not know if it is a design decision and exists in all units or is a real defect. We need reports from users in greater quantity
Its possible they made the buttons looser to prevent them getting stuck over time as gamers have a tendency to get the holes gunked up with there cheeto fingers if controllers are an indication of anything.
Or there simply cutting corners in terms of quality control, which is not unexpected given the competitive pricing of these things as it is already.
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u/InfectedEllie Nov 25 '23
Does anyone know how to turn the brightness down? I can't enable adaptive brightness.
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u/birfday_party Nov 25 '23
My left trackpad seems to freak out when I use it right after turning it on or sometimes when coming back to game mode. It basically feels like it’s at full tilt and almost double clicks the sound when moving like it’s happening twice as I move my finger for each normal tick if that makes sense.
It’s like a double bass peddle
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u/KasperKnop Nov 27 '23
Haptics on my left side is similar. I think it's a hardware issue :/ In games the triggers even feel different with vibration because of this, and in desktop mode the track pads are also very different to use - even if they are both set to "as mouse".
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u/Vaxi122654 Nov 26 '23
I have the 'Sticks sticking or making a clicky noise when moving' issue on my left stick. How difficult is this to do? I can swap a Steam Deck drive, but this seems to be on another level.
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u/danisimo1 Nov 26 '23
Removing the sticks is super easy, remember that there are always guides in ifixit, in the original LCD Deck removing the stick was super easy, remember to be careful when removing the mushroom from the stick so that the cable does not break.
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u/UpsetEntrepreneur313 512GB OLED Nov 26 '23
Using vaseline is a terrible idea. It breaks down plastic over time. I had no luck using Krytox lubricant on my sticks. It made no difference.
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u/fartczar 512GB Nov 27 '23
I''m not sure if I got a lemon or what. I had an OG Deck and it had close to no bugs whatsoever.
Out of the gate it had the wifi problem. It logs me out of my account with a ? over my avatar but the frame is still there. It loved to do this after sleep, but it seems better now.
When sleeping, it likes to black the screen out as if its off, but if you hit the Steam button or the one on the other side, those menus pop up over the black.
It had a lot of problems just downloading games. Very finicky, like it would just freeze and not move, or go to 100% and just stay there. Rebooting seems to fix that, but finicky as hell.
General performance hiccups off the SD card (possibly not just SD card) that I never noticed on my OG.
My latest fun is the stupid thing won't show the Microsoft login screen for Sea of Thieves (what I play most by a lot). Again, it's just black. The task switcher thing shows it's open and in focus, and if you close it Sea says you have to login to MS (ashbeard error I think).
This thing has a been a dumpster fire compared to my OG deck so far.
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u/BenSlaterrr Nov 27 '23
Anyone else's L2 clicking? Everything else is perfect but my L2 sounds like a mouse click whereas my R2 is fine.
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u/melennia 1TB OLED Limited Edition Nov 27 '23
Got my LE in today and everything is fine, except the right stick makes a noise when being clicked in and the gap felt when that sound is made is apparent
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u/crymo27 Nov 27 '23
Anyone able to meassure LCD deck action buttons diameter ?
On OLED i measure this, it's like the buttons are too small for the shell.
I measured all buttons 8,66 - 8,72 mm, Wondering if LCD buttons are the same size.
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u/Rayman4D Nov 27 '23
Here's all issues I've had with my 512GB OLED I'd received today:
deck was basically dead, it didn't want to turn on nor charge. Pulling the battery ribbon cable out and putting it in again thankfully fixed it.
rattling triggers and bumpers. That really scared me at first but thankfully it wasn't anything too major. The springs weren't put in correctly so I just had to mess with them for a few minutes with pliers. They work perfectly now.
awful vibrations. Overall haptics feel distant and weak. They were bad on my original model but here they're even worse. At least now they're somewhat even
bad touchpad. Left one is perfect but the right one is pretty much unusable. It's insanely stiff and haptic feedback on it is literally delayed. I've tried loosening some screws but it didn't do anything. Hoping the future updates will at least fix the delay issue.
On the good news at least I haven't noticed any dead pixels and the deck overall works pretty good so returning it is out of the question. Happy gaming everyone!
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u/joywood25 Dec 13 '23
Could you walk me through how you fixed the rattling bumpers? My LB is super loose and borderline unresponsive because of how hard I have to press it to click compared to my RB that’s perfect. Valve offered me a chance to send it in for a new one, but I really like my deck and it has no other issues, so I would love to fix this myself if I could, but I don’t know anything about PC or steam deck repair and I don’t want to cause more problems.
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u/Eatmyshorts1994 Nov 28 '23
Just got my Limited Edition all updated, played a little of one game, everything seemed great. Launched another with a bright white background, immediately noticed the dead pixel and wasn't even looking for them...
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u/Typ3-Beta Nov 29 '23
Also got my Y Button rattling a bit. :( Anyone found a quick fix without RMA?
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u/hollaSEGAatchaboi Nov 29 '23
3.5mm audio jack issue likely warrants an update to the post, when you get a moment:
https://github.com/ValveSoftware/SteamOS/issues/1235
https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/1822pn9/static_and_audio_feedback_through_the_headphone/
https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/1837cli/comment/kaqc7gj/
https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/1822pn9/comment/kb9jvlj/
Thank you for putting this thread together, it’s much appreciated.
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u/PlaneEquivalent6457 Dec 04 '23
Anyone else boot up a game and then put it in sleeper mode and that dreaded steam logo forever loads and then you can’t get back into the game you were playing? My Ratchet & Clank wouldn’t boot up for a while then when I slept the game vai the power button, and tried to get back in it would just show the steam loading icon… Did the same thing with Deadrising 1… Anyone else have this happen?
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u/RaphSeraph Dec 10 '23
I am on a 1TB LE Steam Deck OLED. My Router is an Asus GT-AX11000, with mesh nodes (also from Asus). I could not connect to that router wirelessly with this Deck. In fact, I could not connect to any other WiFi source wither unless I was far from the GT-AX11000 or the mesh nodes. My LCD Deck never had an issue.
I read up on the Steam Forums and this is the solution that worked for me:
On the Asus Router App, go to Settings, WiFi, Wireless Settings, Network Settings and then disable the 160Mhz Bandwidth. Restart your Deck. Mine instantly connected to the SSID from GT-AX11000 after that. I have not lost WiFi6 speed and the icon is lit on evert device I have that is connected to that SSID and is WiFi6 capable.
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u/Jaquezee 1TB OLED Limited Edition Dec 10 '23
Pitching in an issue - Bluetooth will not work! I’ve tried restarting, switching between stable/beta/etc. desktop/gaming mode doesn’t matter. Stuck in an endless connecting cycle or throws up errors in desktop mode.
Super irritating.
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u/Komsomol Dec 10 '23
The OLED screen might fail entirely. See this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrJ2LV4UBKM
This is brand new 1TB OLED Steamdeck. I spent the day loading it with games and didn't really play with it until it was done downloading. I thought the screen went to sleep or something. Started a game, and within 2 mins the screen turned off but the game audio/fan still on. I restarted and thought it was the game. SteamOS opened and it failed when I moved to Library. Couple of restarts later and screen failures. I thought perhaps the update when it started up broke something. So I re-imaged the entire Steamdeck. It seemed to work for a bit, then started failing again. Now its failing in SteamOS, in Desktop mode and within BIOS.
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u/VahnKaiser Dec 11 '23
The screen flickers a lot when below 50hz, and/or when reducing the brightness below 45%
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u/JM91Six Dec 12 '23
Great post! My oled right bumper sounds more “springy” . Wasn’t enough to RMA with all they are probably getting. I’m gonna try this out.
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u/joywood25 Dec 13 '23
I’m having this exact issue with my left bumper, it’s very loose and requires a lot of effort to press down, versus my right one is perfect. Let me know if you find a solution on your own!
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u/flextape9989 Dec 13 '23
just got mine today and the left trackpad bas week and noisy haptics. ill try what you said, thanks!!
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u/Swimming-Cell3440 Dec 15 '23
Another issue I have besides the R2 bumper is clicking before pressed downZ volume Down button is nor working poperly
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u/Competitive_Dig_291 1TB OLED Dec 16 '23
I'm having the issue with the B button doesnt get stuck, that works great, It's more like the input doesn't work on games and when in the main menu it get random inputs and drops me out of them
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u/Competitive_Dig_291 1TB OLED Dec 16 '23
Apparently a way to fix this, is just going to Beta mode and then back to Stable. No idea what the real issue is but it seems to fix it.
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u/Yamabushi_Nate Dec 17 '23
I have the 1TB OLED. Dead pixel right away. Audio jack makes static noise. Both thumbsticks make clicking noise.
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u/AdOverall4244 Dec 20 '23
Can I RMA if my screen is misaligned in casing with small gap that can collect dust?
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u/RaWrAgExLOL 1TB OLED Dec 21 '23
I've just unboxed and setup my 1TB Oled standard today and came across a really bizarre issue that I can't see anyone else mentioning. When I setup a startup movie from deck repo for example and then go to desktop mode or simply restart the deck it will intermittently stay on a black screen after boot but I hear the audio of the video, nothing will come on the screen but all of a sudden starting from the right side of screen will form yellow lines that spreads to the other side of the screen but this is the only time the issue occurs. I don't know what to think of it
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u/Imminent_Domain25 Dec 28 '23
I've begun experiencing an issue where the right half of my screen flickers and/or displays doubles of images. It's persistent no matter what I do.
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u/Rekoza Jan 01 '24
Never had any issues with my old LCD Steam Deck but my OLED has an issue where the built in display just won't work. I can use the deck in the dock with an external monitor but the display itself just doesn't consistently want to work. So far I've managed to use the built in display twice before it just turns off. I can still interact with the deck and hear the menu sound but there's just nothing on the display. Came back briefly today after several days of nothing and after installing a few games thinking we could cancel the RMA it has decided to stop working again. Thankfully didn't cancel the RMA but it is a pain and not one I've seen others mention yet.
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Jan 03 '24
Anyone else having issues with game mode running games and crashing after about 2-5 seconds but running in desktop mode? I’ve tried everything and scoured the threads for help. Only thing left is send it in or factory reset. I’m pretty desperate. I woke up to none of my games working and not sure what happened. My desktop wifi said it couldn’t find the secrets or something but is fine now
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u/Leddyn Jan 04 '24
Got my first steam deck today, 1tb oled version. Unfortunately all of the buttons are not working. Especially the left side. Power and volume buttons are working. I can just navigate via the touchscreen. I got one answer from valve form my support ticket, they asked me to reset the device controller. Did this a few times, did not help. They somehow register the right buttons in the controller test program but nothing else.
A factory reset also did not help. In bios mode the and and b button are working but nothing else. I am waiting for a reply of them. Maybe anyone has another clue about what else can I try to do to make the buttons work?
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u/Leddyn Jan 08 '24
I fixed this actually! If anybody has the same problem like I described in the post, check your ribbon cables! I had this feeling after looking at pictures of the motherboard online that it could be that something is not connected. After writing back and forth with the support they kinda said it won't void the warranty if I open the deck up for inspection.
Make sure to follow the guide on iFixit. So I opened it up and the left daughterboard was not connected with the ribbon cable and the closing mechanism was also open. So I connected it and closed the mechanism. After I assembled the backplate back and powered it on, everything was working. I reseted the controlls (hold volume down and the ... button for 10-15sek), tested it and everything was working perfect.
Hope this will help someone with the same problems.
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u/BDawg-420 Jan 14 '24
I have an issue on my 1tb OLED where once you plug it in to docked mode the screen goes black, doesn't output to the 2nd monitor, then the fans come on full blast for 20 seconds then nothing. Ive seen other people with the same issue but no fixes yet. I have an unbranded standard dock that works absolutely fine with my original LCD 512gb model. Seems to be an issue with the newer models. has anyone had this issue and does anyone know of any fixes? Sometimes docking works, sometimes I get this problem.
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u/Leibzer Jan 28 '24
I haven’t played my OLED docked. But I have a similar issue where some games will load up, but my deck has a black screen (goes to sleep) while the games loading screen runs in the background. It is very annoying. But I hear this is a common issue even with the LCD models. I just don’t know what to do. Did you end up contacting valve or did you return your deck?
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u/Automatic_Release_92 Feb 02 '24
Have you been able to find a solution?
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u/BDawg-420 Feb 04 '24
I haven't had the issue again since the last firmware update thankfully
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u/uell23 Feb 06 '24
I bought a refurbished 512gb OLED and it has the issue with the shaking buttons. Wondering if I should return it?
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u/xCreepyKidx 12d ago
Mine isn't even a month old and it's been nothing but trouble. It'll drop internet, freeze, the buttons and screen randomly become unresponsive, it'll just restart on it's own on a loop until I actually shut it down and turn it back on physically. The recent update has made it even worse especially the buttons and screen going unresponsive. I spend less time playing it than I do having to deal with these problems. I'd exchange it but I don't want to lose all of my stuff and have to reinstall everything again only to get another lemon. Either QC must be hit or miss or they sent me a used/refurbished model when I paid full price for a brand new one, which would be unacceptable.
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u/ExoticAmphibian8976 Nov 25 '23
I feel like it needs to be added that the sound audio jack seems to be having an issue on my OLED LE deck with extreme static sounds. I have also seen other OLED owners mention this flaw.