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When the original Steam Deck launched, one of the biggest things I was hoping for in a new iteration was an OLED display. Luckily, it was something we got, but that would mean buying a brand new model which cost upwards of $550. That's a lot of money, and those who didn't want to get a new handheld were stuck with the LCD screen. People have mulled over what it would take to get an OLED panel in the original Deck, and it wouldn't be as simple as plugging in a new screen. However, it seems that there may be a way to.

A community member named Shade Technik has introduced a new screen mod for the Steam Deck called the DeckSight. This is a 1080p AMOLED display panel that can be installed into your Steam Deck, giving you access to the more vivid colors from the higher contrast panel.

DeckSightSteamDeckLCDOLEDPanel

The specs for the screen make it sound like a very appealing upgrade, and while they are still being finalized, it sounds really fantastic so far:

  • Max refresh rate: 165 Hz (up from 60 Hz stock)
  • Peak brightness: 800 nits (up from 400 nits stock)
  • Contrast ratio: 100000:1 (up from 1000:1 stock)
  • Response time: 2 ms (up from 30 ms stock)
  • Color gamut: 90~105% of NTSC, 102~110% of sRGB (up from 50% of NTSC, 79% of sRGB stock)

There will also Matte and Gloss versions for those that want the anti-glare coating that is present in the LCD's 512GB Model or not.

To make this work, Shade is using a new FPC ribbon cable that will ensure compatibility with the DeckSight panel. It appears this will be what is needed for the device to recognize and use the OLED panel, which is something I was worried about when discussing putting an OLED panel into an LCD device.

DeckSightSteamDeckLCDOLEDPanelFPCCable

On the CrowdSupply page for the product, there is a FAQ that goes over some burning questions people may have. On battery life, they say that using the display itself won't make battery life worse, but trying to push games to 1920x1080 resolution and the higher refresh rate could make it worse. The screen itself is capable of HDR, but more testing is needed before confirming it will be possible and that it won't be more difficult to install than just installing a Stock LCD screen. They also note there are no downsides other than the 16:9 aspect ratio, which some may consider not as great.

As this is a brand new screen, it does mean that there will be a need for a custom BIOS as well, similar to the one DeckHD needs for the screen to work. There will be a BIOS patcher public when the screen is released so there will be a way to keep your BIOS updated and working with the screen.

There is no set release date or price point yet, but there are a few key things to point out here.

First, this is going to be released on CrowdSupply. This is a website similar to Kickstarter where the public will have to invest and help fund the project for it to be released. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it will rely on public interest for it to come out. It also will be a bit complicated to install and you will need to be pretty careful. iFixit has a guide on screen replacement for the stock Steam Deck, and the process should be relatively similar, but it is a bit complicated and requires disassembly. I generally don't recommend doing this unless you are 100% sure about what you are doing.

The only other part of this project that I am a bit worried about is the size. It is slightly different than the stock screen, being slightly shorter and slightly wider than the stock screen. I am not sure how it will interact with the bezels of the device and how it will look. I want to see more, and definitely a closeup of how it fits into the Steam Deck, but it sounds like a solid upgrade.

DeckSightSteamDeckLCDOLEDPanelComparison

I am willing to give this a shot and I look forward to seeing updates and how the project progresses. Giving a way for LCD users to get an OLED panel without needing to buy a new device is fantastic, and I have high hopes for what it can do. We will be following the project closely and I look forward to seeing what will come next.

If you want to stay updated on the project, head to the CrowdSupply page and put in your email at the top to subscribe to new updates.

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Noah Kupetsky
A lover of gaming since 4, Noah has grown up with a love and passion for the industry. From there, he started to travel a lot and develop a joy for handheld and PC gaming. When the Steam Deck released, it just all clicked.
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