Valve has added another new feature Steam tiresallowing owners to download games with the screen off. Although the option is brand new, Steam Deck enthusiasts have been asking for this ability for a very long time.
Steam Deck has been a huge success for Valve, arguably changing the landscape of PC gaming and ushering in a new wave of competing handhelds, such as the Lenovo Legion Go and the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X. While fans have loved the ability to bring PC games with them in a portable format, not everything about Steam Deck is perfect, and this update is frustrating, and this update.
Steam Deck gets new download feature
On November 4, Valve announced that Steam Decks are getting a new feature called Display-Off Downloads. Steam decks in the Beta and Preview channels can now complete all active downloads with the screen off, allowing the device to conserve power as it gradually downloads and updates or installs titles. The new feature is on by default when a Steam deck is connected, with the option to also enable it for battery mode via the system settings. If the handheld game console is left idle long enough and has active downloads, it will automatically turn off the screen and enter a low-power download mode. Users can also trigger it themselves by pressing the power button and selecting the option to continue the download with the screen off.
Also, it is quite easy to check these downloads without having to reboot the system completely. The Steam Deck PC handheld will now display a status screen if the power button is pressed during low-power download mode, showing what is being downloaded, how much time is left, and how many other downloads are left in the queue. In the event that Steam Deck starts to run out of power while downloading, it will automatically switch to sleep mode when the battery drops below 20%.
While this feature is well received, it has surprised some owners that it has taken this long for Valve to act. Since the release of Steam Deck in 2022, users have been forced to download games with the screen on. While systems like the Nintendo Switch have offered the ability to download while idle, the Steam Deck has lacked a similar option. In addition to using more energy, some owners have expressed concerns about potentially shortening the lifespan of their devices' screens, which should now be alleviated.
- Stamp
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steam (valve)
- Original release date
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February 25, 2022
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$399-$649
- Operating system
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SteamOS 3 (Ark-based)
- Processor
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Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5 GHz (up to 448 GFlops FP32)
- Resolution
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1200 x 800
