Make sure you are in a controlled environment before using Steam Deck during a heat wave.
With the temperatures so high that we are having this especially hot summer both in Spain, southern Europe and other regions of the world, widely exceeding 40ºC in many cases, special care must be taken when using electronic devices that are not prepared for operate under “extreme” temperature conditions. It is the case of Steam Deckthe luck of a portable console from Valve compatible with your Steam game library, if there is excess ambient temperature, will lower its performance to avoid overheating and failure.
Just like this Steam Deck case, we could talk about a desktop console, a PC, a laptop or even a mobile phone. Must pay attention to the manufacturers’ warnings of use under extreme conditions, it could be fatal for the device and stop working. Even cause some damage to the user in extreme cases in which a battery can fail, like that famous Samsung phone.
Returning to the case of Steam Deck, Valve warns that before a ambient temperature above 35 ºC, the device might begin to slow down until it shuts down completely. “For our friends in the midst of a heat wave, a quick note on Steam Deck in high temperatures. Steam Deck works best in ambient temperatures between 0°C and 35°C. If the temperature exceeds this temperature, Steam Deck may start throttling to protect itself“, explains Valve through Twitter.
“A little more detail on this: Steam Deck APU works well at temperatures up to 100°C. At 100°C it will start to reduce performance and at 105°C it will turn off. Again, this is to protect itself (and you) from harm,” he adds.
A bit more detail about this – Steam Deck’s APU runs well at temperatures up to 100°C. At 100°C, it will start to throttle performance, and at 105°C it will shut down. Again, this is to protect itself (and you) from damage.
— Steam Deck (@OnDeck) July 19, 2022
With the extreme temperatures we are having these weeks, this means that it is better not to use Steam Deck outdoors, since it is easy to be above those 35 ºC in most of Spain. Indoors the thing already depends a bit on the situation of each one, but if it is too hot in the room it would be best not to use Steam Deck to avoid performance issues. In case of having the heated room with some air conditioning, at an average temperature of between 25-26 ºC, which has been recommended, there should be no problem using the Valve console.
Also watch out for Nintendo Switch in heat waves
As with the Steam Deck, also being a portable console with similar characteristics, Nintendo confirmed just a few days ago that It is not recommended to use Nintendo Switch if the ambient temperature is higher than 35 ºC. In the end, technology is governed by the same standards. It is best to follow the same precautions as with the Steam Deck.