"OLED Screen flickering issue (PWM) - Does it affect you?"

K-Moss

Top comment:

"Yes. I swear I can see the flickering just by looking at the screen. It is very subtle, but it makes it a bit hard to focus on the screen, gives me a bit of eye strain and gives the screen a low quality feel imo. Still useable though, but it is almost a dealbreaker. Think I prefer playing on my old LCD deck simply because something "feels off" when using the OLED. I don't think I'm very sensitive to PWM. The old Deck and CRTs has never given me any issues."

https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/18an0ob/oled_screen_flickering_issue_pwm_does_it_affect/

Another:

"I realize this is an old post, but you just described the sensation I get from some OLED displays (including the Steam Deck OLED) so perfectly that I had to chime in. The immediate giveaway for me is the slight struggle to hold focus. Like you said, it makes the seen seem less sharp and lower quality. Something just feels off."

"Yes I’ve experienced some pretty severe eyestrain after playing for about 45 mins. Not sure exactly if it’s the oled specifically but it was enough to cause concern."

"I'm on the fence of returning mine, which's a LE tho, really struggling, I do like A LOT its design but truly the screen gave me some headaches that sometimes I felt my eyes couldn't focus well (due to the flickering I guess), also I felt the constant pressure on my forehead. Not sure what should I do now..."

Flicker as such is subliminal/subconscious. You can't see it, but it's there bothering the organism looking at the screen.

K-Moss

"Downgrading from OLED to LCD"

https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/1fzu0b4/downgrading_from_oled_to_lcd/

Excerpt: "Unfortunately I am one of those people that is bothered by the low pwm flicker on the OLED. This is the only OLED screen that has made my eyes strain and fatigue within 20 mins of usage.

I have used the OLED switch and my OLED TV with no trouble. I just recently got my eyes tested, so I know it’s not a vision issue."

However, one says:

"I struggled with the OLED too.

Eyestrain, headaches came on pretty quick.

I thought I would have to return it and then it just disappeared and now I'm ok

I think your eye does go through an adjustment period.

I'm not a doctor."

As I've said, an adjustment period for any screen is to be expected. Any time the body is dealing with something totally new and unnatural, it is reasonable to believe it will take some to adjust.

Saying that, DC-dimmed LCD is objectively superior for flicker, and you can become sensitive to flicker after extensive use so that your tolerance actually goes down.