Another heatwave and summer week have arrived. As the end of July approaches, 85% of Americans are expected to see temperatures over 90 degrees Fahrenheit this weekend. Similar heatwaves have swept throughout Europe and the UK. Its inevitable impact can be felt daily, including unexpected entertainment like playing games with the Steam Deck.
Valve Warns Steam Deck Users to Be Careful in the Hot Weather
If you’re one of the fortunate players who have a Steam Deck, you may want to take note of this Valve heatwave caution. The manufacturer has strongly emphasized that customers shouldn’t use the portable gaming PC in temperatures above 95 degrees Fahrenheit since doing so might cause the gadget to reach its thermal limits and slow down or shut altogether. No questions asked, the custom AMD APU within the Steam Deck is built to operate up to 212 degrees Fahrenheit. That appears to be high enough to withstand any outside weather. However, it depends on the air temperature.
“For our friends in the midst of a heatwave, a quick note about Steam Deck in high temperatures,” Valve wrote in its tweet. “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’s APU runs well at temperatures up to 100°C. At 100°C, it will start to throttle performance.”
Because the Steam Deck is a portable computer, it needs a little more caution than most other handheld devices. Valve says, “any game you can imagine can be played without any difficulties on the little device.” Despite this, there are a few requirements for the Steam Deck to function at its best, one of which is the ambient temperature. Whatever the case, the ideal time to test Stray or Cyberpunk 2077 performance could not be while you’re outside in the sun with your Steam Deck.
