Valve produced the Steam Deck for game lovers to enjoy their favorite video games on the go with a portable device. It operates a complete desktop OS but on special PC hardware. More interesting is that it can play more games than any other gaming machine of its size ever manufactured.
Sadly, the user manual included in the pack doesn’t cover everything you must know when using the Steam Deck. Luckily, this article will make up for that. But before we proceed, you might want to get some HWID Changer for your next COD or Fortnite match. Do well to grab them while you digest the tips below.
5 Tips every Steam Deck Gamer should remember
1. Boost your Hand-Held Console’s Memory
There are different models of the Steam Deck, with each coming with varying prices depending on its storage. The storage capacities of the different models range between 64GB and 512GB. While this might help you achieve some average gaming, titles such as NBK 2K22 and God of War which are 120GB and 70GB, respectively, will leave you at a lack.
Luckily, Steam Deck consoles allow players to expand the devices’ memory up to 2 TB. We’re not saying you must buy a 2TB microSD card, go for a one that fits your budget. Also, you’ll need cards with a fast write speed from notable brands such as Samsung, Lexar, or SanDisk.
2. Stabilize your screen brightness before games
Adaptive brightness on a portable handheld gaming console sounds quite interesting, right? This is more so if you’ve never used the device. The best thing you should do with that feature is to disable it. The fluctuations in your screen’s brightness level can constitute too much of a distraction.
We recommend manually increasing or reducing the brightness depending on your preference. However, occasions when an unexpected light source shines on your screen during a gaming session are almost unavoidable. Thankfully, a button combo shortcut can save you the pain of going to the settings menu. Holding down the Steam button plus the right or left toggle will help you increase or reduce the brightness.
3. Explore the available connectivity options
The steam deck has a built-in controller that allows you to play your game comfortably. However, Valve provided an option that will enable you to customize the experience by attaching wireless peripherals of your choice, thanks to the Bluetooth radio. With this allowance, you can connect your wireless mouse or keyboard and enjoy your game like you would on a PC.
4. Customize the back buttons on your device
Valve made this interesting device come with four extra buttons behind. By default, these buttons are incapable of any commands – Valve made them specially for you to do with them as you like. Customize the controls on these buttons by launching the device and clicking on the Steam button.
On the following screen, navigate to the right and click on the ‘Controller Settings’ tab. You’ll see options that allow you to assign tasks to these buttons. In addition, you’ll also browse community layouts as well as create your customized layout.
5. Save your battery
The steam deck has power issues for you to worry about. While you can take a power bank along with you for such moments, some quick settings can help optimize your power usage. Using the FPS limiter to reduce the FPS of the device can help you save some power.
The FPS Limiter has options that are 15, 30, and 60. However, we’d advise that you don’t go below 30 FPS if you’re playing quick-paced games. For adventure games with little or no shooting, an FPS setting at 15 won’t be a bad idea.
Conclusion
The Steam Deck is a first-generation product of its kind and still has many updates and fixes to go through. As a result, some features and some games may not function properly on the device. For occasions where your games are hanging, combining the Steam button and the B button will help you force quit.
Furthermore, we would advise that you don’t play untested games on your Steam deck as this might come with some setbacks. Thankfully, a yellow warning will appear on your screen when you add a game that is not verified for play on the Steam deck to your cart.