FIXED: Small Resolution / Portrait Presentation on Desktop Mode Native Screen for Steam Deck

[detritusuk]

Posting this as I had an issue that didnt have an intuitive resolution. So it may help others who have a similar issue with a narrow format portrait presentation and couldn't see an obvious way to fix it.

And i felt I wanted to moan about something I am mainly happy with but have some nigggles with.

My steam deck game mode was showsing Steam in its proper presentation. However, the screen mode on the desktop application is now restricted and presenting in a weird format.

The aspect ration was a portrait 4:3 presentation and 800 x 600 resolution. The orientation of the screen in settings wass shown as a monitor on its side which seems counter intuitive when looking at the screen with its widest dimension to the bottom. The resulting effect is that the touch pad still responds as if the screen is in 800 x 1280 mode and consequently all touch points react to a different point on the screen than where you have landed. So this becomes position adjusted to the 800 x 600 resolution.

Changing this to 800 x 1280 5:8 seems to have made full use of the screen again. Can be accessed with click the steam deck icon for the steam menu > settings > system settings > choosing 800x1280 (5:8) and clicking fourth orientation icon. Then clicking [tick] Apply box at bottom right of screen.

This all this started when I plugged in a USB-C adaptor (2 hdmi outputs, USB-C and USB A) so that I could mirror the screen on a larger screen to help with porting over some files from an external hard drive. This did not mirror the screen when it was selected on the steam deck (which popped up a dialogue request when it picked up the adaptor had been connected). The result was narrow format desktop and no output on main display.

USB Adaptor used - Amazon reference ‎ B09JFXBMJH.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09JFXBMJH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I will revert to using warpinator and my main pc for file transfer, but ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ like this mean the steam deck feels more like a portable gaming device with a desktop wrapover. I have used linux as a 2nd OS alongside windows and familiar with droping into terminal to set up things like printer drivers, smb shares with credentials or other functions. But the hobbling of linux and the steam deck feels like a work in progress. Its far from smooth for someone like myself who still considers themselves techy. Good overlay though. The steam interface for gaming is brilliant and hard to knock.

However, the touch, scroll or touchpad interface doesnt marry up perfectly for gaming. There's too much roughness. Typing with the on screen keyboard - doesnt always display the letter even if the haptic feedback confirms your finger touch and doesnt always give you the right letter neither. Scrolling with the touchpad has mixed results where the pointer can scroll with your finger but snap back to the original position when you lift your finger.

I love the steam deck and I want it to work. But I really feel we are 12 - 18 months away from it being the machine we want it to be.

[ζ͜͡λ|ÐarkMøðns]

I Would Recommend, Especially if you have ANOTHER device, Android/Windows/Linux
Try KDE-Connect, Once paired, you can control the mouse from you're phone Wirelessly for exemple, Copy and Paste From you're Phone right into the steam Deck.

And Send/receive Large Files From 1 Device to another.

Truly a one of those *Magic* Apps that will Change you're ways toward Productivity, Time Efficiency.

The Software, The Hardware Never Really Changed; As we Grew Generations to Generations, Improvements From all Revolutionized Technology ;

Its Us that must adapt the Technology, Its alot of Thinkering. But there is NOTHING like setting up 1 Game for FPS like Halo-CE, and then Using that Profile as a base for every single FPS games.

The GyroScope is Really what Nailed the Fun into me, Playing "NFSU 2" With that Gyro As Been WAY too fun. And thats just an Exemple, Valve Really Nailed it in Combination with Proton, The mouse Input is RAW <3 , Perhaps the BASE Default settings for Inputs , are Kinda ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, but thats all Ajustable

I use Mouse Joystick and since The resolution is 1200x800, Well thats exactly what i've set my Mouse Input Emulation values at ; Y = 120 ; X = 80 ;
#THIS For exemple SHOULD be know that 99% of the games are gonna run at NATIVE resolution. so to have a PROPER 'Mouse Experience' Those Should be the Default Value ; instead of the "100 : 100" that we get.

But everything Thinkerable is gonna be Different on every Game with minor Adjustement such as Resolution, Either wait the time 18 Month , Or Take you're time and properly Configure it how you Feel like you Like it, Nothing Feel Better then playing GOLDENEYE 64 , which was UNPLAYABLE on the N64 Because the Controller is a BANANA -_-, To FINALY be able to play it The way I,ve always Wanted to play the game, Is a GodSent and a Love Letter to my Generation, i was Young When HF2 Came out, And it never felt So Good to be SO Bad at HF 2 once more.

[kreuzer07]

Is there a way to fix that portrait mode without the settings app?
I have the same issue but can't open the settings because the settings app crashes everytime i click on it...

[NZ.Zero]

brand new steam deck adn i got this issue too but there are only 3 resolutions available and none of them work. dammit i only had the desktop mdoe open for 5 minutes!

I had an asus usb-c external screen connected, that seems to have done it.

Bloody Linux. Sorry but so far it's ♥♥♥♥.

[Prezidentas]

KDE being KDE LOL. make sure you rotate the screen in the settings

[Squilliam]

Thank you

[koen!!]

Don't know if anyone has found a true fix to this yet, though I had to do the same thing.
My recommendation is, if you run into this issue, and you're in the same situation I was in where you were trying to make use of a monitor and the Steam Deck screen at the same time, to do this.
• Go to your display settings
• Change the screen of the Steam Deck to 'Enabled' to enable the screen on the deck
Often times as this issue happens, sometimes the Steam Deck screen gets disabled and forces the resolution issues onto the display rather than the Steam Deck screen itself. If you're wanting to dual screen this is also suggested
• In order to obtain the default resolution we want to change the screen orientation to 90° Counterclockwise and change resolution to 800x1280 10:16

This should fix all issues restoring the default resolution, in order to use dual monitors similarly to the way Windows does it, you need to go in and tick the 'Enabled' option to get them to both function.