In regards to specific hardware specs, Valve insists that its upcoming Steam Deck handheld console will resist stick drift. Players familiar with the common defect that causes thumbsticks to register false input will be pleased to know that Valve is both aware of the issue and actively working to avoid it.
On July 15, Valve officially announced Steam Deck, a handheld PC that runs a custom Steam OS. Not only does the machine have a substantial amount of power behind its seven-inch screen (roughly two teraflops of APU combined power), the 720p resolution allows the system to take full advantage of the power it has. The Steam Deck features triggers, bumpers, back buttons, face buttons, thumbsticks, a D-pad, trackpads, a touch screen, and a number of ports that allow output to displays, as well as mouse and keyboard support. In short, the Steam Deck can do just about everything a normal PC can do while also acting as a portable system. Steam Deck’s status as a hybrid handheld begs the question of whether the notorious Joy-Con drift that plagues the Nintendo Switch will also affect Valve’s upcoming system.
IGN pressed Valve on the issue of stick drift during a recent Steam Deck hardware deep-dive. When asked whether stick drift was considered when designing the system, hardware engineer Yazan Aldehyyat noted that a lot of reliability testing had been done across a number of environmental conditions. Before pointing out that all parts of a system will eventually fail with time, Aldehyyat said, “I think we feel that this will perform really well. And I think people will be super happy with it. I think that it’s going to be a great buy.” In regards to parts, designer John Ikeda pointed out, “We purposely picked something that we knew the performance of, right? We didn’t want to take a risk on that, right? As I’m sure our customers don’t want us to take a risk on that either.”
Aldehyyat’s statements convey a high level of confidence in the end product, a demeanor that is echoed by Valve. The company is charging only $399 for the console, something the company thought was painful but necessary in order to remain competitive. Though Valve did not specifically say that the handheld wouldn’t have stick drift, it’s safe to assume that the company is doing everything it can to avoid what would otherwise be a huge debacle. Indeed, Valve has had plenty of time to learn from Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony – all of which have sold peripherals with stick drift issues. Unlike these companies, however, Valve still needs to prove itself in the hardware space. In order to avoid another catastrophe reminiscent of the Steam Machine back in 2015, Valve needs to launch its hardware absent any glaring malfunctions.
It would be a huge win for the handheld space, and gaming in general, if Valve can effectively avoid stick drift in its Steam Deck. Unfortunately, gamers ready to try out the handheld for themselves will have to wait. The Steam Deck launches in December 2021, but much like the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, supply will be constrained for some time to come, and scalpers are already moving to capitalize on the Steam Deck.
