Valve will finally turn off the Steam Deck’s screen while it’s downloading games

Valve is investigating a low-power mode to implicit downloads connected your Steam Deck without having to permission the handheld moving with the surface on. As portion of an update that’s presently connected the Steam Deck’s Beta and Preview channels, the handheld tin “complete each progressive downloads successful a caller display-off low-power mode earlier going to sleep,” Valve says.

I’m gladsome this alteration is successful the works; I download a batch of games and updates connected my Steam Deck and I person often wished that I didn’t person to permission the show connected portion doing so. The Verge asked Valve astir this 2 years agone erstwhile the Steam Deck OLED launched, and the institution seemed to deliberation Deck was bully capable without it.

“We pain a important magnitude of powerfulness erstwhile you’re downloading,” hardware technologist Yazan Aldehayyat said astatine the time, suggesting to america that players mightiness not privation to accidentally permission a blistery Steam Deck successful their container if they mistakenly deliberation it’s asleep. Valve’s solution announced contiguous seems to lick immoderate of those concerns.

With the update installed, erstwhile you property the powerfulness fastener portion your Deck is downloading something, you’ll spot a caller dialog that asks if you privation to support downloading but person the surface off. If you take Continue, your Deck volition participate the low-power mode. “While successful this mode, if you property a fastener oregon determination Steam Deck, a caller presumption surface volition beryllium shown with download progress,” Valve says. “From present you tin afloat aftermath Steam Deck oregon fto it proceed downloading with the surface off.”

The diagnostic is connected by default erstwhile your Steam Deck is plugged in. You tin besides take to alteration it portion moving connected artillery successful settings, though if your Steam Deck falls beneath 20 percent battery, your instrumentality volition spell into afloat slumber mode.