There is no such thing as perfect technology. Inevitably, there will some things that go wrong or that come to the fore after launch, and theSteam Deckis no exception to that. Just yesterday, gamers were already experiencingstick drift problems with the Valve device, with numerous people posting about it on places like Reddit and Twitter. Luckily, it seems as though Gabe Newell and co have been quick to react to the issue, and it seems as though the problem has already been addressed.
According to a recent report from Eurogamer, as well as other online news sources, Valve has been quick off the mark to fix the stick drift issue that have been plaguing a number ofSteam Deckusers. A software update has been rolling out since the incident was spotted. Designer Lawrence Yang took to Twitter to announce that the team has “looked into the reported issues” and concluded that it was down to a “deadzone regression.” He adds that gamers should make sure their device is up-to-date in order to receive the firmware patch.
RELATED:Images Emerge Showing All the Different Prototypes of The Steam Deck
Analog controllers drifting is a fairly common occurrence in the industry.Nintendo’s Switch also experienced drifting on its Joy-Cons, with the company seemingly able to mend it, or at least come close to doing so. What’s interesting about this latest story is just how quick Valve has been to respond, which kind of goes a long to showing just how close attention the company is paying to the community since the Deck launched last Friday. It’s understandable, really, given how highly-anticipated the handheld Steam system has been.
In fact,Valve said it was wanting to avoid stick drifting problemsearly on, similar to what Switch users were experiencing. With the Steam Deck being delayed by two months, giving the developer and its partners time to work on it some more, it stands to reason that something like this would have been noticed before launch. However, it’s likely that this is just one of those situations in gaming, or at least in gaming peripherals, that many hardware creators inevitably come across.
As for theSteam Deckitself,Valve has already expressed an interest in follow-up models, with Newell saying that this release represents a “stepping stone.” It’s still early days yet, but given the power of the device, and the marketing hype surrounding it, there is a chance that, if not this iteration, then future versions could usher in a new era for gaming on the go.
