Steam Client Update 3/10/2025 stick drift

[Jake]

tldr; Since the update on the Steam Profile selection screens I get stick drift that makes the mouse cursor move very slowly.

Steam updated this week and I am seeing a stick drift issue.

Background

I have 2 steam profiles set up on my steam deck. So when I boot up I am shown the profile selection screen with the icons for each profile. I select one and am logged in and shown the Home screen.

Pretty regularly I want to go to Desktop mode instead. In this case, from the profile selection screen, I would press the Steam button, navigate to the power menu and switch to desktop mode.

Then, in desktop mode, after a few moments Steam launches and displays the profile selection window.

Issue

Since the update when I'm at the profile selection screen and I press the Steam button a mouse cursor appears that slow drifts in a random direction. This prevents the menu from opening. If I fiddle with the right stick and press the Steam button again and again (or if I press the button really fast) I can get the menu to appear and switch to Desktop mode.

When I reach the desktop the mouse is fine until the Profile Selection window appears. Then the mouse begins to drift (and the right track pad no longer performs a left click).

In Game mode stick drift only occurs on the Profile Selection screen.

In Desktop mode stick drift only occurs on the Profile Selection window. Before steam launches and after a profile has been selected the drift does not occur and the controls seem to be the default Desktop controls.

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Is any one else seeing this?

I think that the steam deck's controller is going into some kind of raw input mode when the profile selection screens are displayed.

[Ziggy Stardust]

i got drift too in games since last update, you are not alone

[PASI]

I also got the issue :/

EDIT: It occured just after the update. Before there was never an issue.

[Kaps]

I also have this issue, seems like a software bug not a hardware one.

[austinp_valve]

Can you go to settings->controller->calibration and check what the left/right joystick deadzone values are?

[Ziggy Stardust]

Originally posted by austinp_valve:

Can you go to settings->controller->calibration and check what the left/right joystick deadzone values are?

Hello i am another affected, the lag also appears on the pad and on the buttons A B x Y, it is not something that only affects the joysticks

[Jake]

Both left and right are 8192. Prior to the original posting I went through a re-calibration. I don't know if the values changed before/after.

This only happens at the profile selection screens, as if the deadzone settings are not applied on those screens.

[austinp_valve]

Can you try the beta client? I believe we shipped a fix for the deadzone not applying properly pre-login

[BETAO]

For me the problem keeps after beta update, i already tried drowngred, calibralibrate joystick and gyro nothing changed.

[JolyWonkass]

After beta update from 27th march stick issue still persists. Also bluetooth connected controller have input lag after update from march 10th

[JAMESD]

I'm seeing this issue too. Wife picks up the deck after it's been in sleep on the dock for a day. Opens stardew valley and character has massive drift. I check the calibration and it's very far off, like father than the max deadzone setting. Reboot and check again and it's normal. But this has happened multiple times in March

[JolyWonkass]

well, reinstalling steam os helped

[Jake]

Today's Steam Deck Client update (April 1, 2025) has resolved the drift issue at the profile selection screen in both desktop and game mode. Woot!

[JAMESD]

Is it fixed in Beta update for april 2?