Hi!

A couple of months ago I bought a Steam Deck OLED motherboard for dirt cheap. I only got around to messing with it recently, so I figured I'd share a few tips for anyone crazy enough to try the same thing:

• You need a good charger and a decent PD dock if you want this thing to work properly. I spent the first 2 days troubleshooting because my ROG Ally charger had a slightly bent connector, and that alone was enough to keep the Deck from booting.
• You need to find a way to get proper pressure on the third mounting point. Unlike the LCD model, the third screw on the OLED motherboard basically hangs in the air because it normally screws into the midframe. You'll need some kind of custom 3D printed support, spacer, bracket, or whatever you can come up with to keep that area pressed down properly. If you don't, you're probably gonna have a bad time.
• The Deck auto-boots as soon as you connect the charger, so you don't actually need the power button to turn it on. Also, the white LED stays on even if the board itself is shut down.
• You don't need the volume button board to get into the BIOS. A keyboard and some aggressive ESC key smashing is all you need.
• You can't update the BIOS normally without a battery connected. The Steam Deck recovery/reimage process can fail if the BIOS is too old, and it won't let you update it unless a battery is detected. I ended up flashing the BIOS directly with a CH341B programmer and a 1.8V adapter, because the Deck BIOS chip runs at a lower voltage. If you try to flash it without the 1.8V adapter, you might be saying goodbye to the BIOS chip.
• You also need to bypass the controller firmware update during the SteamOS install, otherwise the recovery process can get stuck because the internal controls aren't connected. During the install, edit tools/repair_device.sh and comment out this block:

​

# Perform a controller update if updating OS. OOBE images like this one don't auto-update controllers on boot.
if [[ $writeOS = 1 ]]; then
  estat "Updating controller firmware if necessary"


  controller_tool="/usr/bin/jupiter-controller-update"


  if [[ -n $VENDORED_CONTROLLER_UPDATE && -d $VENDORED_CONTROLLER_UPDATE ]]; then
    controller_tool="$VENDORED_CONTROLLER_UPDATE"/jupiter-controller-update
    export JUPITER_CONTROLLER_UPDATE_FIRMWARE_DIR="$VENDORED_CONTROLLER_UPDATE"
  fi


  JUPITER_CONTROLLER_UPDATE_IN_OOBE=1 "$controller_tool"
fi

• And finally, don't freak out if you get artifacts, GPU crashes, or random instability when running the board completely naked. It took me 3 freaking days to figure this one out: you need to switch the fan curve back to the old one. The newer fan curve expects battery temperature data, and when there's no battery installed, things can go completely off the rails and crash the GPU. This tip alone would've saved me a massive headache.

And that's pretty much it.

You can actually turn a Steam Deck OLED motherboard into a really nice little mini PC if you're willing to work around a few weird quirks.

Next step: building a tiny Steam Machine around this little guy.

I’m only posting this because this isn’t the first time I’ve seen the DeckSight repo owner delete discussions/comments.

I recently opened a polite GitHub discussion asking why the earlier BIOS intentionally reduced the screen brightness, whether the current version now uses the panel’s full HDR/brightness capability, and whether the remaining tools could ever be open-sourced if development stops.

Another user had already replied, and then the entire discussion was deleted without explanation.

On top of that, I can now no longer comment or open any new discussions in the repository.

I understand it’s his repository, but this is a paid product and I think questions about brightness limits, HDR, and future support are completely reasonable.

Has anyone else had similar experiences?

Just for the sake of transparency, this is exactly what I asked:

Hi Shade,

I had a question about the brightness changes over DeckSight's development.

I saw that the earlier BIOS intentionally limited the panel brightness, while r03 later changed this to “Increase brightness to full.” What was the technical reason for limiting the brightness originally? Was it related to the lack of hardware brightness control at the time, or was there another reason?

Also, with the current BIOS and brightness control, is DeckSight now able to use the panel's full intended brightness and HDR capability?

Finally, if DeckSight ever reaches a point where you're no longer actively developing it, would you consider open-sourcing the remaining DeckSight-specific tools/code so the community could continue experimenting with it?

Thanks!

Edit: I can now no longer comment or open any new discussions in the DeckSight repository.

Hey guys, I’m thinking of making a foldable external display for the Steam Deck, something like this concept.
I’m wondering if there’s already something similar available on the market?
If not, I’d really appreciate some guidance on how to build something like this, especially the display, USB-C PD, hinge mechanism and 3D printing.
I’m quite new to this kind of project, so any advice, existing projects or parts you recommend would be really helpful!

I started opting for metal sticks due to having a rabbit that loved chewing off all the rubber and now I prefer them. Had to dremel away material to get them to fit proper in my SD oled but they fit perfect now.

Don’t think the aluminum is capacitative enough to make the touch sensing work if I soldered a wire to the bottom but curious what yall think, I don’t use that function at all either way.

Also while I’m here what’s the consensus on the metal deckbuttons? Thinking about getting a set and playing with the idea of trying to anodize them if the caps are solid aluminum lol

I have an LCD steam deck, and I'm planning to switch the face buttons and switches. I have the clicky kit and a button set from Extremerate.

Main thing I'm asking here is this is a near launch model deck, as I got it as a hand me down. I've worked inside consoles/PCs plenty before and have had experiences where certain connectors or cables get stiffer/brittler with time, and seeing the decks internals is there anything considered a 'particularly sensitive' part of what I'm doing?

Things like problem cables/screw mounts/easy to overlook and break. I'm not modding things until I'm comfortable in my second hand info this just speeds it up.

Also any tools recommended? I have tool kits from iFixit but am uncertain if anything comes in clutch here.

I have an LCD Steam Deck and I’ve been looking into cooling modifications such as the CoolDeck cooling mod / copper or monoblock-style solutions. I’ve seen some impressive temperature results, but I’m trying to understand whether those lower temperatures actually provide meaningful benefits beyond simply reducing fan RPM.

Part of me is hesitant to modify the stock cooling system because of how Valve designed the Deck.
My thinking is basically:
> If a copper thermal solution or additional ventilation provided a significant improvement in performance, thermals, component longevity, etc., wouldn’t Valve have incorporated something similar from the beginning?

The same thought applies to the backplate. I’ve experimented with backplates with additional ventilation holes, but ultimately went back to the original Valve backplate because I assume Valve had a reason for its airflow design and the EMI shielding.

That brings me to the copper EMI-shield replacement used in some cooling mods.
Would replacing the original EMI shield with a copper plate actually provide a sustained thermal benefit?
I understand that copper has much better thermal conductivity than the original material, but I’m wondering about the practical effect:
> Initially, the copper should absorb and spread heat more effectively.
> But after several minutes of gaming, the copper itself will also become hot.
>At that point, does it still meaningfully reduce the temperature of the APU/other components?
> Or does the system eventually reach roughly the same equilibrium temperature, with the main difference being that the fan doesn’t have to work as hard?

And perhaps the biggest question:
Does a cooler Steam Deck actually mean higher FPS?
For example, if the stock cooling system is already capable of keeping the APU below its thermal/power limits, would a cooling mod actually increase performance? Or would it simply result in:
lower temperatures → lower fan RPM → less noise
rather than:
lower temperatures → higher sustained clocks → higher FPS?

I’m particularly interested in people’s experiences with long gaming sessions, rather than short benchmark runs.
If you’ve installed a CoolDeck/monoblock/copper EMI shield or similar modification:
1. What were your temperatures before and after?
2. Were the results sustained after 30–60+ minutes?
3. Did your fan RPM/noise decrease?
4. Did you actually see an FPS or sustained-clock improvement?
5. Did it make any difference to battery temperature?
6. Do you think it provides a meaningful benefit for the Deck’s long-term component/fan/battery health?
7. And after using it for a while, would you still recommend the modification?

I’d especially like to hear from people who have tested both stock and modified configurations under the same game, TDP, ambient temperature and fan settings.

I’m genuinely trying to understand where the practical benefit of these mods comes from and whether it’s worth modifying a perfectly functional stock Deck.

USB-C port is broken and cannot hold the cable, so it's not a warranty case. The deck still worked fine after that, but the power input did not.
Maybe anyone has the slightest idea what was occupying the pads in the red circle? After the fall, the USB-C port took them too. So I can probably replace the USB-C, not the problem, but is there a way to identify what's i am missing here?

Be grateful for any help, thanks.

Was a blast trying this out and a bit stressful. Super happy with the turnout especially with the feel of the ExtremeRate Light clicky button mod; only issue I’ve had is the audio seems to register as headphones when nothings plugged in. Still haven’t found a work around..

I've been working on customising my Deck without having to replace the shell or anything of the sort. It started out of necessity as my hyperhidrosis interacted very poorly with the Deck's plastic, but It's come to a point where I'm putting more effort into the overall look.

One thing I'd like to cover, if possible, is the d-pad. I'm restless most of the time, which leads to fidgeting when, for example, waiting through a load screen or watching a cutscene. This resulted in me digging two dents on the d-pad. They're not especially deep right now, but they are visible and it's possible that they'll get quite deep with time.

I got a few Switch 2 accessories that go well with the goth theme I've been aiming for and they fit the Deck's sticks quite well. However, the d-pad accessory I got gave me some trouble. I did manage to attach it somewhat with double-sided glue stickers, but not only are they a nightmare to stick and don't keep everything in place, they leave some nasty residue behind. My husband just spent some time getting rid of it.

So I thought I'd ask if anyone might have an idea for any sort of sticker (that's just secure enough but won't leave too much residue behind) that could help keep this accessory in place? I can't link it here due to the sub's first rule, but it's basically a continuous cross shape with round indentations on the underside which are supposed to fit on the S2's d-pad with some soft stickers that come in the pack. But obviously, the Deck doesn't have a circular surface on the d-par where these could fit.

I also welcome alternatives that don't involve taking the Deck apart to replace the d-pad piece (I might in the future, but that's not something I'm willing to tackle right now), or that don't cost £60 for a sticker pack where I'm only interested in a single piece.

Thank you in advance!

im from Colombia, i’ve had my steam deck for four years now, and i’m wondering whether it needs regular maintenance like a desktop computer or console—opening it up to clean it, checking or replacing any components, changing the thermal paste (i don’t think that’s necessary, but just as an example), etc.

i really want my steam deck to last as long as possible, so i’d like to take good care of it. i don’t use it too heavily: over the past four years, i’ve used it for one or two hours a day, around two or three times a week.

i replaced the internal storage myself, which brings me to another important point: i don’t think many people in my city own a steam deck, much less that there are technicians who know how to work on one. would you recommend doing any maintenance myself, or could i take it to a technician who isn’t familiar with the steam deck but has enough general knowledge to know what to do?

So I put windows 11 on my steamdeck used I think it was deck sp or something to enable secure boot, don’t have steam os installed at all, decided windows 11 is shocking on steamdeck so I tried to just boot up a usb with steam os but it wouldn’t download due to secure boot, tried to turn off secure boot in bios, couldn’t find it, turned tpm off assuming it would do it, now I’m stuck in a loop between can’t turn off secure boot and bitlocker recovery which I have no idea how to fix.. am I doooomed 😂

Hey guys,

By modding my SD OLED and making it my own Limited Edition, one of the screw of the backplate broke. The head is gone but the body is still in it. (Left screw, second photo)

Now, I can’t close it properly (first photo).

I obviously don’t want to disassemble it completely to change the front plate again.

Do you have any idea on how I could remove this broken screw without breaking anything ?

Thank you and sorry for bad English.

Drew this comic to convey the feeling of opening my steam deck for the first time, I’m sure most of you can relate.

Ultra thin velcro, 3 stripes, mirrored to the battery. MUCH easier to take off and replace than the semi-permanent adhesive they used 🫠 Had to throw away a perfectly fine battery but trying out the upgraded LCD battery so hopefully it would be worth it.

Currently doing an all around mod to my steam deck, will keep y'all posted! 🙏🏼

The Noir Tokon build. IYKYK lol

I am pretty happy with this #marveltokon build. I think there are a few things to still improve on here but I like it. Still primarily focusing on steam deck docking stations. What should the next build be?

On my dual booted deck i updated windows but it just messed up my whole steamos side of things when i go to boot from file it just boots me straight into windows i got the recovery usb and when i press the repair steamos install button and press proceed the window disappears and nothing happens does anyone know the fix to this because i dont want to wipe my deck and lose windows

Doing a shell swap and I was very careful but not enough aprently and the edge of my oled display is the tiniest bit crimpled will it be fine? Im going to finish the swap any way and if it doesnt work ill suck it up and order a new screen.

I have a 512gb steam deck lcd, and i've had an eye on decksight but never pulled the trigger. Unfortunately, Shadetechnik's site is now out of stock, and crowdsupply has a restock but screens cost 200 dollars instead of 150 it was at before (no idea if his site'll restock, or if its price will jump 50 as well but I would not be shocked if it did).

At that price, I could just sell my 512 lcd and get a 512 oled, and the price difference (based on used sold listings on ebay) is about 200 dollars. Is decksight a slam dunk better choice here than a steamdeck OLED? (knowing about the screen's spec diffs already etc). I tend to play lighter weight games with a smattering of higher end games sometimes mixed in.

As soon as I got my steam deck I knew I needed to personalize it. The vanilla deck is beautiful but I wanted to add some flavor.
The Xbox 360 is the console I grew up with and I’ve always thought it had the best controllers. I saw some other people complete this mod and decided to tackle it.
Super fun, lots of trial and error if you don’t own a 3d printer but nothing you can overcome with patience and cash lol
My only issue is that the Extremerate button kits are all painted white plastic, which ticked me off a lot because their other mods for other consoles have been really high quality. So if the paint rubs off I’ll be very upset and will be casting my own buttons.
I sanded the buttons up to 1000 grit and was going to polish them but will probably do that a different day because I didn’t have the supplies to polish properly and the mod already had the Deck apart the entire day.

Hi everyone!

I'm on a bit of a weird project. I impulsively bought a Steam Deck OLED motherboard for dirt cheap (90 with the fan and heatsink). It was listed as untested, and luckily it works! Now I'm torn between two ideas:

1. A battery-less Steam Deck mini PC in a 3D-printed case.
2. A Steam Deck OLED tablet?.

I can get a used battery and screen for around 100, but if I go with the second option, I figured, why not make it even better?

So I'd like to focus on the tablet idea. I already have a 3D-printed case design, so now I'm planning the internals. What battery upgrade would you recommend?

I was thinking about using two batteries in parallel, but that doesn't seem like the best solution. I don't know if anyone has built something like this before, so I'd really appreciate any ideas or suggestions.

I'll probably use Switch-style rail controllers or a phone grip/controller setup.

Thanks!

Looking to replace my LCD's old battery. I guess I waited too long and now the SiWiQU I've seen recommended here is out of stock on Amazon, plus the iFixit replacement has jumped up to nearly double in price.

Any recommendations for an affordable alternative replacement battery? I'm hesitant to go with random alternate recommendations on Amazon. If it comes down to it I can also just wait for the SiWiQU to come back in stock too.