AN-003 · APPLICATION NOTE

Getting a Steam Deck onto a TV

The Steam Deck outputs video over its USB-C port using DisplayPort alt mode, up to 4K at 60 Hz. Valve documents this directly. Most failures getting a Deck onto a TV are not the Deck's fault; they are one of three link problems.

The three usual suspects

• The cable is a charging cable. The cable that ships in the box with many chargers has no SuperSpeed lanes. SeeAN-001; this is still the most common cause.
• The adapter is passive the wrong way. TVs speak HDMI. A USB-C to HDMI cable or dock must actively convert DisplayPort to HDMI. Cheap adapters that only support HDMI 1.4 cap you at 4K30, which TVs often render as a laggy mess.
• Power and video fight over the same port. The Deck has one USB-C port. To charge while playing on the TV you need a dock or hub that passes power delivery through while carrying video out. Valve's dock exists for exactly this reason.

A full-featured USB-C cable into a USB-C display is the simplest happy path: video and 45 W charging in one cable, no adapters involved.