Well, the Steam Deck is now arriving in actual players’ hands, and it seems analog stick drift hasn’t been completely eradicated. Already, there are a number of first-hand reports on Reddit (here, here, and here) of drift, with the right camera stick seemingly being most affected. Now, of course, this is a small sample size and faulty hardware happens, but still, it’s disappointing to see these issues reported so soon given Valve’s previous assurances. The good news is, unlike the Switch, replacement parts (including new analog sticks) will be sold for the Steam Deck, so some drift isn’t going to render your system unusable. Replacement parts for the Steam Deck will eventually be sold via iFixit, although they’re not available just yet. The first Steam Deck units began shipping on February 25. Going forward, Valve will ship units to those who pre-ordered on a first-come, first-served basis.
