Steam Deck May Experience Performance Issues Due to High Summer Temps, Valve Says
Owners should be careful about the heat when using their deck.
July's heat isn't good for the Steam Deck.
Valve warned Steam Deck owners Tuesday of possible performance issues if the portable gaming device is used in high temperatures. This follows a warning Nintendo gave on Monday to not play a Switch in hot weather. Both companies expressed caution this week as the UK deals with a historic heat wave that's breaking temperature records.
"Steam Deck performs at its best in ambient temperatures between 0° and 35° C," the company tweeted Tuesday. (That translates to a range of between 32 degrees and 95 degrees Fahrenheit.) "If the temperature gets higher than this, Steam Deck may start to throttle performance to protect itself."
For our friends in the midst of a heatwave, a quick note about Steam Deck in high temperatures. Steam Deck performs at its best in ambient temperatures between 0° and 35° C. If the temperature gets higher than this, Steam Deck may start to throttle performance to protect itself.
— Steam Deck (@OnDeck) July 19, 2022
The company says the deck's accelerated processing unit, or APU, works fine at up to 100 degrees Celsius, or 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Going above that temperature will cause the Steam Deck to throttle its performance, and then it'll shut off completely at 105 degrees Celsius, or 221 degrees Fahrenheit, to protect itself.