Steam Deck introduces screen-off downloads, helps preserve OLED screen life — users can now download large titles with the handheld in low-power mode and have a new game ready to go when they turn it on

Steam has added a screen-off download feature to the Steam Deck, allowing gamers to download games without consuming a lot of battery power. According to the company, this feature will automatically turn on when you’re charging your console, while you can also enable it manually in the settings menu if you want low-power downloads even while on battery power. When it’s activated and you press the power button while downloading content, the Steam Deck will ask if you want to continue the download with the screen off. It will also go to low-power mode after you leave it idle for some time.

When in this mode, you can move or press a button on the Steam Deck to check the download status. From there, you can fully switch on the console and get to gaming, or just leave it be to continue downloading in the background of your life. However, if you activate the feature in battery mode and your handheld’s battery level falls below 20%, it will pause the download and go into full sleep mode to conserve power.

Although this might seem like a minor quality-of-life improvement, it will go a long way to improve your experience with the Steam Deck. For example, if you found a new large title you want to try out, you can download it before going to bed while keeping your handheld plugged in, and you can expect to play that new game the following day. The company also did not mention if this applies to DLC and game updates, but if it does, it would keep game updates an automatic background task every time you charge your device. That way, you can say goodbye to waiting for downloads just so you can play the latest version of your favorite title. OLED users will naturally save more battery life, and it will also help preserve OLED screen life.

Unfortunately, this isn’t available to all users yet — you have to be in the Beta or Preview channel to use this on your Steam Deck. Still, it’s going to be quite helpful for a ton of users once it hits mainstream updates, especially for those who frequently use their handheld consoles without access to high-speed internet, like when you’re passing the time while on the road.

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