Valve Steam Deck performance claims make it a lot easier to skip Switch OLED

Valve Steam Deck performance claims brand it a lot easier to skip Switch OLED

(Image credit: Valve)

The biggest question effectually the Valve Steam Deck is how well volition it run games. Certain, Valve has said that this handheld PC will exist "targeting xxx FPS," but that didn't brand things super clear; after all, aiming for something isn't the same as hitting it.

Merely thankfully Valve's Pierre-Loup Griffais popped up to add some clarity ,noting that 30 frames per 2nd is really the minimum framerates Steam Deck users can expect from games. "Games we've tested and shown take consistently met and exceeded that bar so far," tweeted Griffais.

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That'southward some good news, as 30 fps is pretty much the minimum frame charge per unit I'd want for games to be palatable for any length of time.

I can put up with the odd drop in frame rate that tin can occasionally happen in demanding games on the likes of the Nintendo Switch. But sustained frame rates beneath thirty fps can brand for some unpleasant gaming. And the new Switch OLED doesn't promise whatever better operation when it comes to gameplay; it's more often than not but about the better display with the same guts.

Of course, diehard PC gamers might not accept anything beneath sixty fps as acceptable, especially as we alive in an era of high refresh charge per unit monitors and powerful graphics cards like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080. But and then compromises need to exist made when information technology comes to finer being able to easily comport effectually your Steam library.

Speaking of which, Valve has too recently detailed how the use of SD cards will finer let users to take dynamically removable Steam Libraries, thanks to simply swapping SD cards loaded with a selection of Steam games in and out of the Steam Deck.

With 30 fps as the minimum frame charge per unit, the Steam Deck also has the potential to run games at higher frame rates with some tweaking of settings, especially equally it's but targeting a 720p resolution output.

The "30 FPS target" refers to the flooring of what we consider playable in our functioning testing; games nosotros've tested and shown take consistently met and exceeded that bar so far. In that location will also be an optional built-in FPS limiter to fine-melody perf vs. battery life.July 25, 2021

Nevertheless, Griffais also noted that the Steam Deck will come with "an optional congenital-in FPS limiter" in lodge to allow users to fine tune the balance of functioning versus battery life.

This is interesting, as for people on a short 30 minute commute, the chance to take access to the Steam Deck's full power could be handy, particularly if they're playing a fast-paced game like Control, But and so the choice to scale that back for longer transits, such as an international flight, widens the Steam Deck'due south scope.

I also discover this to exist rather promising, equally it seems to reinforce the idea that the Steam Deck will let users do a whole lot with and to it, rather than insisting upon sure settings. For folks who like to tinker, the Steam Deck could be a rather promising handheld car.

I'one thousand non hugely into the whole tweaking and customization world that has seen some people run N64 games on things similar the PS Vita or run Windows 10 on the Switch. But the flexibility of the Steam Deck is rather appealing, peculiarly as the games it can run will too have access to the Steam Workshop mods that tin can hugely boost the corporeality of content available for games like Skyrim.

You tin pre-order the Valve Steam Deck right now, though expect to expect until 2022 before you really become your hands on the console.

More: How to bank check if a Steam game works on Steam Deck

Roland Moore-Colyer is U.Yard. Editor at Tom'due south Guide with a focus on news, features and opinion manufactures. He frequently writes about gaming, phones, laptops and other bits of hardware; he'southward also got an interest in cars. When not at his desk Roland tin be plant wandering around London, often with a expect of curiosity on his face.