Steam Deck update adds per-game performance settings

Image of the Steam Deck playing Frostpunk.

(Image credit: Future)

Valve's portable hybrid gaming PC, the Steam Deck has really hit the ground running. Despite stock issues, the little portable PC gaming console has continued to entertain those lucky enough to have one with plenty of fun gaming on the go.

The Steam Deck has still had plenty of little teething issues since launch but most are gradually being sorted. An example are the loud fan issues which have been helped greatly by a recent update. Another has been the speedy uptake of verified games on the machine, and many that aren't officially supported still work just fine thanks to other fixes and tweaks.

Thankfully, the updates and patches keep coming. The latest one from Valve is only categorised as a small update with some patch notes, but it comes with per-game performance profiles. This should be a huge help that allows better optimised gaming, especially with this portable hardware.

The notes explain that this new feature can be found in the Quick Access menu, and then navigating to Performance, and Advanced view. From there users should be able to alter their settings per game, which should automatically save and apply when the game is launched. This can also be toggled on or off at any time in case you've made some poor decisions in that settings menu.

Steam in your hands

Steam Deck with an image from Elden Ring overlayed on the screen — (Image credit: Future, FromSoftware)

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This gives players the power to really dial in their settings, which is a great touch on a portable console. Games that don't really benefit from full grunt can be turned down in favour of saving battery or optimising performance elsewhere. Whereas other games you want looking their best can keep those settings untouched. Generally speaking this should make the Steam Deck an even better travel buddy than it already was.

There are a few other notable features in the latest update. The Steam Deck will now auto scale to a virtual 1280x800 resolution when connected to a remote display which could be handy for some users. Plus there are multiple keyboard fixes for various regions, and improved performance when switching between online and offline modes.

Given that more games and accessories for the Steam Deck are constantly coming out, we're looking forward to more useful updates for this hybrid bundle of joy in the future.

Hope’s been writing about games for about a decade, starting out way back when on the Australian Nintendo fan site Vooks.net. Since then, she’s talked far too much about games and tech for publications such as Techlife, Byteside, IGN, and GameSpot. Of course there’s also here at PC Gamer, where she gets to indulge her inner hardware nerd with news and reviews. You can usually find Hope fawning over some art, tech, or likely a wonderful combination of them both and where relevant she’ll share them with you here. When she’s not writing about the amazing creations of others, she’s working on what she hopes will one day be her own. You can find her fictional chill out ambient far future sci-fi radio show/album/listening experience podcast right here. No, she’s not kidding.