Valve is about to release an exciting new patch for the Steam Deck that will add official support for 1920 x 1200 resolution. However, this isn’t just a simple resolution boost; it’s specifically for the DeckHD screen replacement. DeckHD offers a significant upgrade to the Steam Deck’s native 800p display, bringing it up to 1200p. While this sounds fantastic, there are a few catches. First, it comes at an extra cost. Second, you’ll need to be comfortable replacing the screen yourself.
The news comes from Tom’s Hardware, which discovered a telling GitHub commit in SteamOS. Titled “Rebase DeckHD patches on latest gamescope code,” the commit indicates that Valve is integrating third-party DeckHD patches into the official SteamOS. This should ensure full support for the screen, including display timings. SteamOS will also recognize the DeckHD as a supported display.
When DeckHD first launched, it was a significant upgrade. However, Valve subsequently released the OLED Steam Deck, which significantly improved the contrast, color accuracy, and saturation of the console’s display. Compared to the original Steam Deck’s IPS panel, DeckHD offered a major improvement with an 87% sRGB color gamut coverage, compared to the roughly 70% offered by the Steam Deck LCD.
As a result, DeckHD’s appeal has lessened. While boosting the resolution is always welcome, the Steam Deck’s native 800p resolution isn’t particularly impressive when compared to competitors. Moreover, the console’s hardware wasn’t built for higher resolutions. However, with advancements like AMD FSR 3.1, achieving 1200p is more attainable, especially in 2D games.
Despite this, the Steam Deck remains the undisputed king of gaming handhelds. While it may not have the most powerful hardware (that title belongs to consoles running AMD’s Z1 Extreme, such as the ROG Ally X), it offers a good balance of price and performance. Now, with official support for an important display hardware mod on the horizon, there’s hope that Valve might expand this kind of support to other Steam Deck mods in the future.
