Allow for 1:1 mirroring screen when using external display

[Corben]

When an external display is attached in gaming mode (via usb-c hub), the internal screen goes black and the external screen is used in its native resolution.
It would be great if a setting would allow not to fully switch to an external screen, but to mirror the internal screen (at 800p).
Reason is, to be able to share the content of the Deck's screen, being able to capture it via an external HDMI connection is helpful. But with the internal screen going black, the device becomes just a fancy controller and it's less conclusive to show how to operate the Deck, as you cannot look at its screen.

In desktop mode it's a bit better, as KDE asks for what to do with the external screen, but even when I set it to clone the internal screen, it still seems to use the external monitors resolutions and it's not possible to have a 1:1 mirror with 800p either.

My current solution is to use the Steam Link app on the desktop to capture the content of the Deck's screen, but this has it's own issues (quality varies, in desktop mode Steam crashes, when trying to bring up the keyboard).

[Machi]

would be very nice to have more output options in general

[HumanGamer]

Yeah, this NEEDs to be implemented, I'm trying to record my streamdeck via elgato and I can't play in the OBS window as it has way too much latency.

[pythoncode]

This feature is much needed since deck becomes annoyingly slow when connected to 4K TVs. Also I hope we get a 16:9 output option, at least for docked mode.

[Mercury]

+1
I'd like to stream myself playing with the Steam Deck. Valve would probably benefit from people streaming their hardware, too, so they should get on this.

[Mercury]

Does anybody know a workaround? I don't mind popping the hood a little bit if I have to. I'd like to play it the way it's intended to be played AND capture/stream at the same time.

If I just wanted to plug it into a screen and play it in a non-handheld way, I, like 99% of Steam Deck owners, have a perfectly capable gaming rig and could get better results with that.

[Hahasamian]

Originally posted by Mercury:

Does anybody know a workaround? I don't mind popping the hood a little bit if I have to. I'd like to play it the way it's intended to be played AND capture/stream at the same time.

If I just wanted to plug it into a screen and play it in a non-handheld way, I, like 99% of Steam Deck owners, have a perfectly capable gaming rig and could get better results with that.

I'm a bit late, but using Steam Remote Play or Steam Link is probably your best option if they've still not added mirroring yet. It doesn't cost too much extra processing power, just a good network connection. You won't get the same quality as a wired connection but it can still be pretty darn good, good enough for Twitch or YouTube I imagine. Especially considering you're capturing 720p/800p; that should be significantly lower bandwidth than higher resolutions.

Alternatively and probably more sensibly, just do the entire stream/capture from your Deck, cut out the middleman

Also I totally bought the Steam Deck because even though I have access to a gaming PC everyone in my family is using it

[d[-_-]b]

+1

[Robyn Sky]

I did find where you can set the resolution as a "per app" setting, but I agree - a global resolution for the output distinct from the built-in screen would be nice.

Also, i REALLY would enjoy having the option for the built-in screen to not go dark when connecting to an external display since it's still way easier to navigate the onscreen menus in some cases and I'm not really planning on using the dock the same way my switch operates.

Giving us the same options that windows does for game mode

DECK SCREEN ONLY
DUPLICATE
EXTEND
EXTERNAL SCREEN ONLY

[Hadet]

I'm very surprised it's been 5 months and this feature has not been added. I was really hoping to be able to do this and hope that the functionality is added in the near future as it would make it much easier to show off the Deck's touch screen features when I am streaming and also local co-op games. It'd be nice to hear from Valve as to whether this is a future possiblity for game mode and gamescope as it most Wayland competitors support screen mirroring already.

[Hat]

We need screen mirroring.... There's no way to be efficient or productive with a 1-display only solution.

[Hahasamian]

Originally posted by Hat:

We need screen mirroring.... There's no way to be efficient or productive with a 1-display only solution.

If you're looking to be "efficient and productive", the feature should work perfectly fine on the desktop interface! I don't know if you're talking about this as someone who doesn't have a Steam Deck, but any multi-screen configuration you want is supported on the desktop.

[Jodla]

+1 more settings options in gamemode + multi monitor support please, make settings as good as desktop mode pls

Originally posted by Hahasamian:

Originally posted by Hat:

We need screen mirroring.... There's no way to be efficient or productive with a 1-display only solution.

If you're looking to be "efficient and productive", the feature should work perfectly fine on the desktop interface! I don't know if you're talking about this as someone who doesn't have a Steam Deck, but any multi-screen configuration you want is supported on the desktop.

Soo with your retoric because the official steam dock have dual outputs it should be marketed with big warning label because it cant be fully supported by gamemode.
* WARNING DUAL OUTPUTS WORKS ONLY IN DESKTOP MODE *

Gamemode allows multi apps running you could show one app on one display like web browser or communicator and play on another.

Some people use duo display "fused" next each other.

You could use clone as 1 display play second screen capture, or just to show off

My thing is gamemode should be as flexible as desktop mode.

There are a lot of use cases that make you want to still be in lighweight game mode than full blown desktop mode. Because you know both of them give you different experience.

[Hahasamian]

Originally posted by Jodla:

+1 more settings options in gamemode + multi monitor support please, make settings as good as desktop mode pls

Originally posted by Hahasamian:

If you're looking to be "efficient and productive", the feature should work perfectly fine on the desktop interface! I don't know if you're talking about this as someone who doesn't have a Steam Deck, but any multi-screen configuration you want is supported on the desktop.

Soo with your retoric because the official steam dock have dual outputs it should be marketed with big warning label because it cant be fully supported by gamemode.
* WARNING DUAL OUTPUTS WORKS ONLY IN DESKTOP MODE *

No, that's not my logic at all-- You seem to have pulled that out of your own head, actually. It's sort of expected that a dual monitor setup only works with the mode that acts like a desktop computer... You don't see a Playstation doing that.
It's just a fact that desktop mode is the only one intended for productivity. If you can manage to use the heavily controller-oriented game mode interface for that stuff, great for you, but as for me and most other people, I'm using desktop mode for that stuff.

Anyway, apart from the "you really shouldn't need to" bit, part of why multi-monitor isn't a thing in gamemode yet may have something to do with running on the new, faster but less stable Wayland. That's why your games run so fast in Game Mode to begin with. Hopefully sometime, with more work on Wayland, the desktop environment can transition to it, or gamemode can get multi-monitor support like you want. I think the latter is very unlikely... I don't really know how gamemode's interface could be adapted for this and it'd be more trouble than it's worth for someone already sitting at a desktop.

As for screen mirroring, the actual topic? Yeah that should be easy peas and I'm surprised it's still not here, I hope Valve gets on it soon!

[Zexiar]

Originally posted by HumanGamer:

Yeah, this NEEDs to be implemented, I'm trying to record my streamdeck via elgato and I can't play in the OBS window as it has way too much latency.

+1 on this specifically, I use Elgato to stream my game on Discord, but the black screen and input delay becomes difficult in fast-games. I'd really love a 1:1 mirroring option.
Please valve!

[crater]

+1, there really needs to be more external display options in game mode, including an option to mirror the display.