this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2023
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Steam Deck
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A place to discuss and support all things Steam Deck.
Replacement for r/steamdeck_linux.
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Not familiar with PWM. I know it's some anti-flicker tech, but nothing else. I've never noticed flicker on Steam Deck's screen [edit: but I'm not very sensitive to it].
Steam Deck does have an adjustable refresh rate screen which can be set to any refresh rate between 40 and 60 Hz. It does not support VRR (real time adjustment), but usually you play around to get best FPS you can, then you lock the refresh rate to the same frequency (unless your FPS is below 30, then you lock it to twice the rate).
However, if you connect the Steam Deck to an external screen that does support VRR, Steam Deck is compatible and will work. Just not with the inbuilt screen.
Steam Deck has VSync on by default to prevent tearing, and it's applied on top, to all games. You can optionally disable VSync by toggling the 'Allow Tearing' option in the quick menu.
PWM = Pulse Width Modulation, a way of changing the power of a signal to 'emulate' a different voltage or amperage by rapidly varying the 'width' of the signal, at a high enough frequency that you shouldn't notice it.
Basically, it 'stutters' the signal. That's all well and good until it starts to get into the frequency that users are sensitive to (Which is different for everyone). At that point it can cause headaches, nausea, eye strain, migraines and possibly even increasing any epileptic effects.
The other issue is normally it's fine, but maybe when the brightness is down really low, you might get a 120Hz 'flicker' sort of like an old Flourescent light fixture, as it turns off and on the LED backlighting slow enough that you start to actually experience it. For me, I've not noticed it even at very low brightnesses and dark rooms, but I'm not sensitive to it at all.
Exactly, thank you for the explanation. PWM is used for brightness control and it may flicker, especially when the display is not set at 100%. This does not occur if the screen uses DC voltage to control the brightness.
As far as I have read the Steam Deck unfortunately uses PWM. The question is if it is flicker-free at 100% brightness - could somebody check it with their phone set to record a video at 120fps/240fps or more? You should see it flicker on the screen if the flicker is below those fps/Hz values.