Support us on Patreon
PayPalFancy upgrading the resolution of your Steam Deck screen? Well it seems FX Technology also known as F(x)tec are planning to offer Steam Deck screen upgrades under the Deck HD brand.
The screen on all three models of the Steam Deck have a 1280x800 resolution, and the top-end Steam Deck has special anti-glare coating. What if we could swap it out for a 1920x1200 anti-glare screen? Well that's their plan. Not just that though, their screen will offer better colours too they claim 74% AdobeRGB Coverage versus 45% AdobeRGB Coverage on the original Steam Deck screen.
It's not available yet but you can join the waitlist on their website, with a price expected to be around $99.
An interesting idea, although it's worth remembering that powering that extra screen resolution will come with a cost attached. Even at the 800p of the existing Steam Deck screen, that can be too much for some of the latest AAA games to handle. Might be nice for some older games though, or just anything that isn't the latest 3D AAA titles.
I actually spoke about this in my recent Steam Deck news round-up video, as it was teased on Twitter but only today I found the official site launch for it. Anyway my round-up is below:
YouTube videos require cookies, you must accept their cookies to view. View cookie preferences.
Direct Link
Direct Link
Some you may have missed, popular articles from the last month:
The comments on this article are closed.
I think a good upgrade would be adaptive sync and higher refresh rate than 60 Hz. It may be even more valuable than higher resolution. Using tearing as a way to reduce latency isn't really a good solution and latency is a concern for some gamers.
Last edited by Shmerl on 18 May 2023 at 5:46 pm UTC
Last edited by Shmerl on 18 May 2023 at 5:46 pm UTC
7 Likes, Who?
Can it do the timing tricks that the Deck's screen can do to run at 40 Hz?
7 Likes, Who?
What's the point? It's not like the display is super large to start with... everything's already tiny on there. The stock display resolution is appropriate for the size of the Steam deck. This just looks like more e-waste to me. What will people do with their stock displays when they upgrade to this one? Trash it because there will not be a market for second hand Steam Deck displays?
6 Likes, Who?
johndoe86x May 18, 2023
My wishlist has HDR and high refresh rate (120+) with VRR
6 Likes, Who?
slaapliedje May 18, 2023
Quoting: elmapuli rather have 800p OLED insteadThos was my thought. OLED and maybe higher refresh potential.
3 Likes, Who?
Arehandoro May 18, 2023
Quoting: slaapliedjeQuoting: elmapuli rather have 800p OLED insteadThos was my thought. OLED and maybe higher refresh potential.
Same, OLED at the same resolution would be the sweet spot. I have the feeling using an OLED screen would be more than $99, though.
2 Likes, Who?
Mohandevir May 18, 2023
Nope! Everytime I think about replacing the screen, I think about the batterie's autonomy. Doesn't make sense unless you plan on using it docked and even then, the apu will struggle... Nope! The best thing to do is wait for the Steam Deck 2 and use the VibrantDeck plugin, in the meantime, imo.
6 Likes, Who?
Would one even be able to notice the difference in resolution on a screen that small?
7 Likes, Who?
They should sell a 1280 x 800 version for those who want better color accuracy and don't need the higher resolution.
4 Likes, Who?
An updated screen mod is the only mod I'd do to my deck. 1080x1200 seems a bit too high. I'd definitely prefer an 800p OLED.
1 Likes, Who?
TheRiddick May 19, 2023
I'd be happy with just a plain old 800p oled given the hardware is likely not going to be ideal at 1200p anyway so your going to be using FSR a lot.
Even for the Z1 Max chip I'd say 1080p is just fine for handheld of that performance (again OLED)
Last edited by TheRiddick on 19 May 2023 at 5:09 am UTC
Even for the Z1 Max chip I'd say 1080p is just fine for handheld of that performance (again OLED)
Last edited by TheRiddick on 19 May 2023 at 5:09 am UTC
0 Likes
Wow, Is the Deck just 40% AdobeRGB?
Somebody corrects me if I'm wrong, since I'm more pratocal about NTSC and SRGB colorspaces, but it seems AdobeRGB is equivalent to NTSC, and 40% means seriously washed out colors (how does the red looks on the Deck, kinda orange-ish?), more or less the same you find in 300/400 euros laptops; good for office use, but definitely NOT for running games or watching movies, what a shame.
Somebody corrects me if I'm wrong, since I'm more pratocal about NTSC and SRGB colorspaces, but it seems AdobeRGB is equivalent to NTSC, and 40% means seriously washed out colors (how does the red looks on the Deck, kinda orange-ish?), more or less the same you find in 300/400 euros laptops; good for office use, but definitely NOT for running games or watching movies, what a shame.
0 Likes
Quoting: kokoko3kWow, Is the Deck just 40% AdobeRGB?
Somebody corrects me if I'm wrong, since I'm more pratocal about NTSC and SRGB colorspaces, but it seems AdobeRGB is equivalent to NTSC, and 40% means seriously washed out colors (how does the red looks on the Deck, kinda orange-ish?), more or less the same you find in 300/400 euros laptops; good for office use, but definitely NOT for running games or watching movies, what a shame.
If you'd ever seen and used a SteamDeck and then described it's screen as washed out, you'd be laughed out of town. At least on the top end unit, the screen is vibrant and crystal clear.
5 Likes, Who?
TheRiddick May 19, 2023
Quoting: scaineAt least on the top end unit, the screen is vibrant and crystal clear.
Not how I'd describe a LCD TN panel if that is what SD use.
Basically once you've used OLED, you'll never turn back. I find it VERY hard to touch my VR Pico-4 because it's clearly using some cheap LCD and the blacks are all grey. (less noticeable on handheld however)
Last edited by TheRiddick on 19 May 2023 at 7:43 am UTC
0 Likes
Quoting: scaineQuoting: kokoko3kWow, Is the Deck just 40% AdobeRGB?
Somebody corrects me if I'm wrong, since I'm more pratocal about NTSC and SRGB colorspaces, but it seems AdobeRGB is equivalent to NTSC, and 40% means seriously washed out colors (how does the red looks on the Deck, kinda orange-ish?), more or less the same you find in 300/400 euros laptops; good for office use, but definitely NOT for running games or watching movies, what a shame.
If you'd ever seen and used a SteamDeck and then described it's screen as washed out, you'd be laughed out of town. At least on the top end unit, the screen is vibrant and crystal clear.
As stated, I don't own nor ever seen it live, but I fail to find reviews that describe its screen as vibrant, which is in line with the reported gamut coverage.
https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/ta6wxf/why_is_the_screen_so_bad/
https://steamcommunity.com/app/1675200/discussions/2/3416556480601372738/
https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/sunr38/deck_screen_vs_nonoled_switch/
So there has been something I'm not considering here.
Maybe, as you said, the "less cheap" model has a better screen or maybe i can't stand anything lower than 70% ntsc coverage.
I always switch laptop displays voiding the warranty, just to say one :)
0 Likes
Quoting: TheRiddickQuoting: scaineAt least on the top end unit, the screen is vibrant and crystal clear.
Not how I'd describe a LCD TN panel if that is what SD use.
Basically once you've used OLED, you'll never turn back. I find it VERY hard to touch my VR Pico-4 because it's clearly using some cheap LCD and the blacks are all grey. (less noticeable on handheld however)
It seems the deck has an ips screen, not tn, right?
Not saying the Deck does or not mount a shitty ips screen, but unfortunately today's cheap screen makers managed to make shitty colors even on ips screens.
0 Likes
That is not the way. Like it's been said, i would be better a 800p Oled with VRR.
0 Likes
Quoting: kokoko3kIt seems the deck has an ips screen, not tn, right?The Deck has an IPS screen, yes. Which means that off-axis viewing is fine, which wouldn't be the case with a TN screen. But the colour gamut isn't great as far as IPS screens go - less than 100% sRGB. It seems to be one of the "painful" choices Valve made to hit the price point. In actual use, though, it's not that much of an issue: you aren't using it to see skin tones - games make up their own custom colours. If you hold it side-by-side with a good IPS screen you'll see the reds being slightly orange, but solo you'll only notice the high DPI, fast response, and ability to show a good image even at very low brightness, which are admirable traits for a battery-powered gaming appliance. There is space for a Deck with a better screen but the process of replacing it is not a lot of fun. And replacing the screen with one that can't run at an arbitrary refresh rate between 40 & 60 Hz (which the Deck's display can) would be a functional downgrade.
11 Likes, Who?
TheRiddick May 19, 2023
OLED is getting kinda silly cheap these days. Hopefully they can figure something out for SD2.
0 Likes
See more from me