Following Nintendo’s advice Monday to not play a Switch in hot weather, Valve gave a similar warning about performance issues when using its Steam Deck in high temperatures.
“Steam Deck performs at its best in ambient temperatures between 0° and 35° C,” the company tweeted Tuesday. “If the temperature gets higher than this, Steam Deck may start to throttle performance to protect itself.”
For our friends in the midst of a heatwave, a quick note about Steam Deck in high temperatures. Steam Deck performs at its best in ambient temperatures between 0° and 35° C. If the temperature gets higher than this, Steam Deck may start to throttle performance to protect itself.
— Steam Deck (@OnDeck) July 19, 2022
The company says the deck’s accelerated processing unit, or APU, works fine at up to 100 degrees Celsius, or 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Going above that temperature will cause the Steam Deck to throttle its performance, and then it’ll shut off completely at 105 degrees Celsius, or 221 degrees Fahrenheit, to protect itself.
Valve and Nintendo both gave warnings for their portable gaming devices as the UK contends with a historic heat wave that’s breaking temperature records.