I agree. It looks like it's in progress.
Earlier this month SteamOS had a release: "Temporarily re-disabled experimental wake-on-bluetooth support for Steam Deck LCD while issues with spurious wake-ups are investigated"
I have a 1st gen Steam Deck (256gb), and it has supported wake from bluetooth peripherals for a while. I've only tested it with a PS5 controller, but it works. [EDIT: btw I use the official dock. Idk if it'll work with others]
I use my SteamDeck as a streaming device too, and since my TV is connected via HDMI, waking the console also wakes the TV. So I can start playing/watching anything by just turning on my PS5 controller (which is not ideal because the PS5 controller has terrible battery life and is often dead when I need it, but that's a different issue)
Re:Steam Machine
by darkteflon on Wednesday November 12, 2025 @02:38PM
(#45905188)
On the other hand, PS5 controller - unlike an Xbox controller - gets you gyro control, which makes for a very nice mouse experience. I play tons of mouse-only games (e.g. Mechabellum) from the couch thanks to the DualSense.
Same issue with Switch 2. You can only wake it with a Switch 2 controller. Nintendo's own Pro Controller for switch, which used to wake the Switch just fine, cannot wake the Switch 2. Seems like a forced upgrade issue, to me. :(
Re:Steam Machine
by sunaookami on Thursday November 13, 2025 @02:39AM
(#45911906)
IIRC it's because the Switch 2 uses Bluetooth LE protocol for waking up the console which the Switch 1 does not support (it uses a different protocol).
Waking up the deck works for me with my xbox controller connected via bluetooth. Are you using those controllers via BT or USB?
Edit: Now that I think about it, this might have been a feature added to the OLED model.
Re:Steam Machine
by robotnikman on Wednesday November 12, 2025 @03:31PM
(#45906145)
Yes, the OLED model has a different Bluetooth controller and iirc that's the main reason. Though Valve has been working on trying to backport it to the original models as well.
This one simple thing is the only thing that makes my SteamDeck+Dock feel like a second class console. So far they only claim it's for the Steam Controller, but I'd be great if it worked with the handful of 8bitdo or Switch controllers I've been using.