Valve has issued a statement on the official Steam Deck Twitter account warning users that the handheld PC gaming device may throttle performance in the midst of the ongoing heat waves that have plagued much of North America and Europe (not to mention Japan) recently.
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
In the statement, OnDeck also mentioned that the Steam Deck enjoys optimal performance at ambient temperatures between 0° and 35° C (or roughly 32°—95° F). At temperatures higher than that, the Steam Deck may throttle performance to protect itself from damage to its internal components, particularly its APU. At an internal temperature of 105° C (or 221° Fahrenheit) the Steam Deck will shut down.
Interestingly, Nintendo also issued a similar warning in regards to its Switch console. Nintendo also cautioned Switch users against placing the device in such a way that blocks the intake and exhaust ports, which can also cause the Switch to overheat.
