The Steam Deck's Battery Drains Incredibly Fast Unless You Cap Your FPS

So, the Steam Deck is actually out this month. Did that totally sneak up on anyone else, or was it just me? It still somehow feels like it should be a while away, but no - I’ve been violently reminded just how imminent it is with all those darn size comparisons popping up all over Twitter. Did you know it’s bigger than the Nintendo Switch? I sure have been told that several times over the last week.

Anyway, as these resoundingly chunky devices have found their way into the hands of tech reviewers and YouTubers, we’ve been able to see how the Steam Deck actually holds up in reality. Valve originally said that we should be able to expect around 2-8 hours of battery life (which is such a massive range to give, but okay), but according to tests ran by GamersNexus and The Phawx (and reported by PCGamer), it’s actually significantly less.

The Steam Deck will be launching on 25 February - be sure to check out the video below to take a closer look.

GamersNexus tried playing Devil May Cry 5 with the frame rate totally uncapped and VSync on (and screen brightness at 50%) and only managed to squeeze 87 minutes out of the device - over half an hour less than promised. Yikes. Similarly, The Phawx logged battery life of around 85-90 minutes while playing Control.

To compare, when GamersNexus tried DMC 5 with slightly lower settings and a 60fps cap (still with VSync enabled), the system lasted two hours, finally reaching that promised figure. Both of the channels also tested the system with Dead Cells - it lasted around six hours with VSync on. It’s definitely not surprising that less graphically demanding games will take less juice, but there you go.

Now, although the one and a half hours of battery sounds bad (and yeah, it kind of is), it does highlight the difference between the Steam Deck and portable consoles we already know and love, like the Switch. Getting all your settings configured properly is clearly going to be key to making the most of the system.

That said, it does sound like it’s going to be difficult to make it last as long as Valve claims it can: “For the life of me, I never managed to get to eight hours,” The Phawx said. So, it remains to be seen just how practical the device is actually going to be for portable use, y’know, the thing it’s meant to do, but no doubt everyone’s still going to be excited to get their hands on one (and good luck with that).