This Steam Deck Upgrade Beats The Nintendo Switch 2's Screen Resolution

The Steam Deck is a hit. Ever since its initial launch, Valve has kicked off a veritable arms race between the biggest computer component manufacturers, leading to new PC handhelds debuting every year. From the Switch-like Lenovo Legion Go, which has Joy-Con-style controllers, to the comically large Acer Nitro Blaze 11, there is no shortage of (mostly) powerful portable PC handhelds. Even legacy video game companies are getting in on the fun, as Xbox will release its first handheld gaming console this year with the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X. But, in some ways, the handheld that started it all has been left in the dust. 

Specs-wise, the original Steam Deck can compete with the best of them. That said, the LCD screen doesn't hold up as well, especially with the newer Steam Deck OLED stealing the spotlight. If you own an original Steam Deck with an LCD screen but don't want to shell out for an OLED version, a relatively cheap screen upgrade can give you better resolution than the original Steam Deck and even the Nintendo Switch 2.

The DeckHD display has a resolution of 1920x1200 pixels. That beats the original Steam Deck's 1280x800 and the Switch 2's 1920x1080. Higher resolution means more detail in the image, which makes a difference on a small display. DeckHD has a comparison page that clearly shows why its display is better. In addition to the increased resolution, it has a more color-accurate display that covers 87% of the sRGB color space, compared to the original Steam Deck's 67%. A higher color accuracy is more noticeable when looking at comparisons, but essentially, you'll notice more accurate, vivid colors. 

The DeckHD also solves the flickering issue experienced by the Steam Deck's LCD display. You won't notice flickering when dropping the refresh rate to 40Hz, which many Steam Deck users complained about. Since lowering the refresh rate makes a significant difference to battery life consumption, this is a big deal. Finally, the DeckHD has improved responsiveness for touch.

While this display from DeckHD is a major improvement on the Steam Deck's LCD option, it still falls short when it comes to brightness and higher refresh rates. Unlike the Steam Deck OLED, which has a peak brightness of 1,000 nits, the DeckHD tops out at 400 — that's the same as the original Steam Deck display. Refresh rates also stay the same, maxing out at 60Hz. For context, the Steam Deck OLED has a refresh rate of up to 90Hz, while the Switch 2 maxes out at an impressive 120Hz, and the Lenovo Legion Go handheld gaming console tops out at 144Hz.

If you decide to upgrade your Steam Deck display, you're in for a multi-step process. Thankfully, DeckHD has put together a handy, in-depth guide that covers everything you need to know. Before you get started, you'll need to have several items on hand: opening picks, an opening tool, a spudger, a suction handle, tweezers, a screwdriver, and adhesive strips. You'll also want to have thermal paste in case you need to reapply it to the processor — if so, isopropyl alcohol is useful for removing the previous application. Before detaching the display, it's also a good idea to remove the microSD card and set the device to battery storage mode via the BIOS.

After successfully installing the new display, you need to flash the Steam Deck BIOS for DeckHD. Doing this lets the device know there is a larger display. While the process is fairly easy, you will need to do this every time you do a Steam Deck update. The good news is that once you have the script downloaded, you can run it from the computer's desktop mode, which doesn't take long. 

Finally, there are two optional steps. First, you can adjust the Steam Deck UI scaling so that it doesn't look small on the larger display. Second, you can change the resolution on a per-game basis to take full advantage of your new display.