The Stream Deck’s battery drains incredibly fast if you don’t cap your FPS.
The Steam Deck has been released. Is that a sneaky way for anyone to miss it? Although it still feels a while off, it’s not. I have been reminded of how near it is by all the darn-sized comparisons popping up on Twitter. It’s larger than the Nintendo Switch. It’s something I have heard many times in the past week.
These chunky devices are now in the hands of tech reviewers and YouTubers. We’ve seen how the Steam Deck holds up in real life. Valve initially stated that the Steam Deck should last between 2-8 hours. This is a huge range, but it is possible to get much less.
GamersNexus attempted Devil May Cry with VSync turned on, and the frame rate completely uncapped. The device only managed to last 87 minutes, which is more than half an hour less than the promised time. Yikes. The Phawx also had 85-90 minutes of battery life when playing Command.
GamersNexus also tried DMC5 at slightly lower settings and 60fps (still with VSync disabled), and the system lasted for two hours before reaching its promised number. The plan was also tested with Dead cells. It lasted approximately six hours with VSync enabled. Although it’s not surprising that games with less graphically demanding graphics consume less juice, here are the results.
Although the Steam Deck’s battery life is only one and a quarter hours sounds terrible, it highlights the differences between it and other portable consoles like the Switch. It is essential to properly configure all settings in order to make the most of this system.
It does seem like the device will not last as long as Valve says. “For my life, I never managed to reach eight hours,” said The Phawx. It remains determined how portable the device will be, but everyone will be eager to have one (and good fortune with that).
