Steam Deck to Receive Official Support for Popular Third-Party Screen Upgrade

Valve has recently uncovered brand-new code indicating that the Steam Deck is now officially compatible with the DeckHD screen mod.

Despite the Steam Deck OLED’s release last year overshadowing the original LCD version of the handheld, Valve has not forgotten about their first foray into handheld gaming. The successor not only introduced an improved battery, but also a new OLED screen.

Recent additions to the handheld’s Gamescope compositor have uncovered that Valve has officially made the LCD Steam Deck more readily upgradeable by incorporating DeckHD support.

According to a post by Brad Lynch on X/Twitter, the compositor has officially acknowledged support for the DeckHD screen. Lynch has also shared two screenshots which show the DeckHD screen mod listed as “Jupiter Deck HD.”

Valve is starting to add official support for the Steam Deck LCD’s 1920x1200p “DeckHD” mod right into the Gamescope compositorPretty neat! pic.twitter.com/EGQ0ko23E7

— Brad Lynch (@SadlyItsBradley) July 26, 2024

Currently, the DeckHD screen mod can still be purchased for $99 from the official DeckHD website. Although it may not surpass the glossy OLED display of the newest Steam Deck, the IPS screen offers a significant upgrade from the original Steam Deck display.

The DeckHD screen mod improves the screen’s resolution to 1920×1200, providing 87% SRGB coverage compared to the original model’s 1280×800 resolution and 67% SRGB coverage.

Nonetheless, although the replacement screen can revive the original Steam Deck, its installation is not suitable for those who are easily intimidated. As detailed in our review, the 1920×1200 IPS screen modification requires flashing the handheld’s BIOS in order to function.

Consequently, incorporating the screen necessitates the anxiety-provoking task of repeatedly reflashing the Steam Deck after each update, resulting in a slightly more troublesome experience when playing your preferred Steam Deck games.

With the addition of DeckHD support, there may no longer be a need to flash the Steam Deck BIOS, simplifying the process of upgrading the LCD screen on the device.

Steam Deck on a table with all equipment surrounding it in a mess

The recently introduced DeckHD support is limited to the LCD model. Nevertheless, Valve’s inclusion of support for third-party mods is a positive indication overall.

The abundance of Steam Deck mods, which differ in complexity and potential problems with support, suggests that Valve may further improve the upgradability of its flagship handheld device in the future.