The Steam Deck is just a couple of weeks away from launch, and every day we learn something new about Valve’s upcoming handheld. Some reviewers and developers have received their Decks early and have stated that the battery of the console could drain quicker than Valve’s claimed 2 hours.
YouTube channel GamerNexus tested the Steam Deck with a variety of games with various settings enabled. Running Devil May Cry 5 with uncapped FPS, Vsync disabled, and brightness at 50%, the Steam Deck lasted for just 87 minutes.
When running the same game with Vsync enabled, slightly lower settings, and the FPS capped at 60, the Steam Deck was able to last an additional 30 minutes, meeting Valve’s 2-hour claim.
Another YouTuber, The Phawx, put the Steam Deck through multiple battery life stress tests. They tested the device battery with Control by turning Vsync off and changing the game’s graphical settings to low.
This allowed the Steam Deck to reach 90 FPS, but the battery lasted around 90 minutes. The Phawx noted that there was no reason to reach 90 FPS on a game when the device’s screen was 60Hz.
There are videos out in the wild showing the Steam Deck running Cyberpunk 2077 at a stable framerate. While this is no small feat, it would be interesting to see how long the battery lasts while handling such an intensive task. Those who have gotten their systems say that users would get the most out of the Steam Deck by playing older and less graphically intense games.
For those picking up the handheld, the library of verified games grows every day. Currently, there is no game on the Steam catalog that the Deck is unable to run. With the option to also add storage to the system, it means you can have a massive number of games to enjoy on the go, as long as your battery holds up.
The Steam Deck is set to launch on February 25th.
About Valve Software
Valve Corporation, also known as Valve Software, is an American video game developer, publisher, and digital distribution company based in Bellevue, Washington. Valve is best known for the software distribution platform Steam, along with gaming franchises such as Half-Life, Counter-Strike, Portal, Day of Defeat, Team Fortress, Left 4 Dead, and Dota.
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