Steam Deck Gets New Battery-Saving Feature in Latest Update

Valve has released a new beta update for the Steam Deck that includes a feature to help improve the long-term health of the device's battery.

The May 8th Steam Deck Beta Client update adds an option that lets users limit battery charging to 80% instead of 100%.

This new feature is especially helpful for Steam Deck owners who keep their devices plugged in most of the time. By not fully charging the battery, users can reduce wear and tear that happens naturally over time.

The new battery limit option can be found in the Power section of the Settings menu after installing the beta update. Users can easily turn this feature on or off depending on their needs.

While limiting the charge to 80% will reduce the amount of playtime available on a single charge, the trade-off is potentially longer overall battery lifespan. For many users who don't regularly deplete their battery below 20%, this change could be very beneficial with minimal drawbacks.

The update also includes some other improvements. Valve has moved several battery-related settings to the power submenu for better organization. These include display dimming options, suspend timeout settings, and battery percentage display preferences.

Additionally, the update addresses an issue with text pasting when using the on-screen keyboard and provides a potential fix for a problem with the DualSense Edge controller's gyroscope functionality.

As this feature is currently only available in the beta version of the Steam Deck software, Valve appears to be testing it before rolling it out to all users.

For those interested in trying the beta update, it can be accessed by switching to the beta update channel in the Steam Deck's settings menu. Users can switch between stable and beta channels at any time, making it easy to test new features.