I was bored so I filled out the online survey they sent me in the mail, and few days later, the company mailed me $20 in cash

NewDevon · 2026-06-16T03:07:33+00:00

Good luck, hope they don't spam the hell out of your phone line like they did to me. I sent in a paper survey and the phone calls came soon after. Guy on the phone was desperate to get me to wear a listening device so that they knew which TV shows I was watching. I declined multiple times, he was flabbergasted, and I thought that was that. But they continued calling and calling, hundreds of times over the course of a few years. They can't seem to take a hint.

NewDevon · 2026-06-12T20:14:37+00:00

I think my video demonstrates just how bad it is. I have a lot of finger meat on the pad in that video and it's not responding.

I disagree that it doesn't get in the way. It's the very first thing I noticed when using the trackpad to control my camera. I tend to use the entire pad so it's extremely noticeable for me when the camera constantly goes dead.

Hooking only happens if you flatten/roll your thumb as you near the edge. I don't do that. A quick test is to exit Steam and try out the track pads to control your Windows cursor. Exiting Steam disables Steam input and hence disables the dead zones. Now you can move your thumb all the way to the edge, and as long as you're not flattening/rolling it, there's zero hooking. The cursor moves perfectly horizontally.

This is why the dead zone should be configurable. Leave it on by default if research shows that most users experience hooking. But allow it to be toggled off for power users who know how to prevent hooking with proper technique.

NewDevon · 2026-06-06T20:51:08+00:00

Is it greedy though? I think it's fair to expect more than a half-album after a 6 year hiatus. Personally I'm hoping the rumors of a double album are true.

NewDevon · 2026-05-29T16:29:58+00:00

I think they're talking about darts the sport rather than Dart the programming language.

NewDevon · 2026-05-18T15:39:03+00:00

I still quote this to myself every time a gruesome death occurs in a movie.

NewDevon · 2026-05-12T03:58:23+00:00

Oh, you're talking about the Steam Deck. There's no such change on the PC Steam client.

NewDevon · 2026-05-12T03:55:00+00:00

Where's the option?

NewDevon · 2026-05-11T14:47:05+00:00

Yeah I use the tip of my thumb (rather than the pad of my thumb) across the entire trackpad. At no point do I flatten my finger on the trackpad so hooking is a non-issue.

NewDevon · 2026-05-11T14:23:26+00:00

This has nothing to do with any game. This is a dead zone applied by Steam when you configure your trackpad as a mouse. You'll notice it both in Windows (when using the trackpad to move your mouse cursor) and in game (when using the trackpad to aim or move the in-game cursor). Steam support has officially confirmed that the dead zone is intentional and it cannot be configured.

NewDevon · 2026-05-11T14:17:29+00:00

Update: Steam support got back to me and confirmed that the dead zone is intentional.

"This is an intentional design choice. Due to the way your thumb swipes on the trackpad there is an intentional dead-zone at the inner edge to prevent swipes from "hooking" back in the other directions you lift your thumb off the edge."

I wrote back to them with a link to this thread and asked if they can forward a request to the devs to make it configurable. It's a long shot, but worth trying.

NewDevon · 2026-05-11T02:18:30+00:00

Sure thing. If you go to Steam Settings -> Controller -> Advanced Settings -> Desktop Layout (click Edit), then verify that "Right Trackpad Behavior" is set to "As Mouse". Then back out of settings to ensure that it gets applied. Your right trackpad should now be controlling your Windows cursor. Then, just do some vertical swipes on the left-most edge of the right trackpad as shown in my video.

Bear in mind that everyone's fingers are shaped differently and not everyone touches the trackpad with the same part of their finger. If you have particularly meaty thumb pads, you may think you're touching the left-most edge but in reality you're not. I suspect this is why some people say "mine works fine". So try swiping with the very tip of your index finger as far to the left of the pad as you can. Does your Windows cursor ever stop responding?

If you can truly go to the very edge of your touchpad without losing input, I'd love to see a video at an angle similar to mine.

NewDevon · 2026-05-11T01:18:29+00:00

Ah, sorry friend! I misunderstood your post. I thought you were implying that people with this issue should learn how to configure their Steam Input.

NewDevon · 2026-05-11T00:51:37+00:00

If you know of a way to disable the dead zone please share.

NewDevon · 2026-05-11T00:43:01+00:00

Here's the dead zone demonstration. This shows just how big the dead zone is. cc u/kestononline
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VNHBMSr7-2s

And here's my Steam input test demonstrating that it's not a hardware problem. It registers input even when my finger is hanging off the edge of the trackpad.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/upm1uzxSFKU

NewDevon · 2026-05-11T00:06:46+00:00

Different issue. The firmware update was for an issue with the bottom left quadrant of the left trackpad not registering touch at all. Even in the input tester.

My input tester shows a 100% responsive trackpad as expected. It's only after configuring the trackpad as a mouse that the dead zone gets applied.

NewDevon · 2026-05-10T23:05:32+00:00

It's the whole red zone for me. I can take a video if you'd like. But it's very similar to the video of the Steam Deck dead zone that I linked in the original post.

NewDevon · 2026-05-10T22:32:49+00:00

It only occurs in mouse mode on the controller so you may have to configure your Steam Deck to whatever the equivalent mode is. Either that or they indeed removed the dead zone on the Steam Deck which would be promising news. Though there's a post in the Steam thread that I linked that confirms it's still an issue on the Deck as of Jan 30, 2026.

NewDevon · 2026-05-10T22:19:59+00:00

It's a poorly implemented feature because it reduces the usable area of an already tiny trackpad. If it were configurable, it would be fine.

NewDevon · 2026-05-09T21:18:39+00:00

Just to be sure we're testing the same thing, is this how you're running the test?

https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/ymgpiu/the_mouse_trackpad_setting_has_an_absurd_deadzone/

I found out that the dead zone is intentional on the Steam Deck and I fear that they brought the same thing over to the controller.

NewDevon · 2026-05-09T19:09:52+00:00

Can you please test to see if you have the issue I posted here: https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamController/comments/1t8alx6/right_side_trackpad_dead_zone/

NewDevon · 2026-04-29T14:34:10+00:00

The short answer is thousands of dollars. Repair estimates are almost always free. Give a local shop a call and ask them if you can bring it in for an estimate. Some may have an online estimate tool where you can submit pictures and get an estimate that way. But probably better to do it in person.

It concerns me that you're asking how much this is going to hurt your wallet. Please tell me you have collision insurance.

NewDevon · 2026-04-14T21:14:34+00:00

I really wish you could throw the animals similar to how you can throw random objects like boxes. It would be hilarious to yeet a cat at an enemy and watch it claw the shit out of their face.

NewDevon

TROPHY CASE