Valve says Steam Deck stick drift was caused by deadzone regression bug

The Steam Deck only launched last week, but some owners have already started raising concerns about stick drift.

Stick drift is an issue that causes the analog sticks to register an input when static, which can make controlling certain games rather challenging.

The problem has become synonymous with the Nintendo Switch, but a recent video posted to the Steam Deck subreddit left some owners worried Valve's console might endure a similarly tortuous fate.

After looking into the problem, however, Valve says the issue was the result of deadzone regression caused by a recent firmware update.

Addressing owners on Twitter, Valve designer Lawrence Yang said the company has already shipped a fix to address the bug, and told fans to make sure they're up to date.

In a separate response sent directly to those who reported the issue, Valve relayed similar information but added that it will "continue to watch for reports related to this issue."