Early Steam Deck adopters ran into trouble yesterday, with multiple reports highlighting that the handheld already suffers from stick drift just days after launch. Following a swift investigation, Valve’s hot on the case fixing the problem with an update less than 24 hours later.
Stick drift can sometimes be fatal for a controller without physically repairing the analogue stick, since it’s often caused by a fault in the electrical components. In the Steam Deck’s case, the problem is actually software-based, with a previous firmware patch accidentally introducing what Lawrence Yang calls a “deadzone regression” in the thumbsticks.
Instead of opting for the lengthy workaround to recalibrate the joystick’s deadzone in desktop mode, now all you’ll need to do is download Valve’s latest patch, which squashes the bug entirely. Reddit user Hollandje, who previously suffered from a wandering cursor, tells us the new firmware does just the trick and their thumbstick “works fine” following the update.
Our Steam Deck review highlights that the portable device is still a work-in-progress, and “most updates feel like two steps forward and one step backwards.” Even if we can expect more fumbles in the future, though, Valve’s impressive turnaround time on the patch ought to put fears to rest.