Setting up my Steam Deck turned out to be a bit of a challenge. Not because of my deck. That was easy and while it’s meant to be a handheld device. I really want to be able to also use it on my TV while at home. I soon learned of the challenges of simply connecting it to a TV isn’t so straight forward.
Because the EDID (Extended Display Identification Data) of my deck wasn’t recognized by the Samsung TV I have. The TV is a 2020 Smart UHD model.
I knew I’d have to limit the frame-rate of my Steam Deck to 60. That was a given. But I was only able to get the TV to recognize it twice and as soon as I’d turn the TV off, the information was lost. It wasn’t easy to realize that it was a communication of something I’ve never had an issue with before. So not knowing much about the issue, I spent hours searching the web for people with the same issue and how they fixed it.
Side Note: Have you ever noticed that doing internet searches are far less useful than they used to be? You search for something and you’ll find a plethora of other people asking the same question but no answers. Or you get results that are completely unrelated to what you are searching for but somehow are related to the latest media nonsense? I digress…
After changing my search query multiple times and weeding through endless pages of useless results I finally got educated on EDID and how you sometimes need to fake the info in order for your device to be recognized. In short you need an EDID Adapter.
I bought the recommended device from Amazon and a few days later it arrived and now my deck works like a champ on my TV. Though I have been thinking I might want a new TV. My 55″ looks small in comparison to my living-room. Might splurge on a holiday deal and pickup a 65″ TV.
I work a lot. So my time with my Steam Deck has been very limited. Plus it seems I can’t have a day off without someone needing my attention. I was hoping living alone would alleviate this nonsense and I could enjoy some solitude. I mean after working 50+ hours a week, it would be nice to relax in my own home.
I’m excited to see what I can do with a Steam Deck. I have successfully installed all my favorite games, just haven’t spent much time playing on it. Also I need to write up how to install World of Warcraft on a Steam Deck. The videos I found where convoluted at best. There’s a seriously easier way.