Steam Deck can finally take advantage of a long-awaited feature, as Valve adds the ability to download games in a new 'display off, low-power' mode. Valve has checked off the long-requested feature, which will first be available in the beta client.
Once rolled-out to the rest of the playerbase, the feature will be enabled by default when the handheld PC device is plugged in. It allows all queued downloads to be completed while the display is switched off before it automatically enters sleep mode, in what is a huge time-saver for gamers.
After updating to the latest beta client, you will find this new option under the 'Settings' menu, before going to 'Power' and scrolling down.
If the new feature isn't to your fancy, you can simply disable it altogether. Something to suit all preferences.
Explaining the change in a post on Steam, Valve said: "Display-off downloads are accessible in two ways. While Steam Deck is downloading content, pressing the power button now brings up a new dialog, asking whether you'd like to continue downloading with the screen off.
"Select Continue, and Steam Deck will go into the new low-power download mode. In addition, Steam Deck will automatically go into this mode after an idle timeout.
"While in this mode, if you press a button or move Steam Deck, a new status screen will be shown with download progress. From here you can fully wake Steam Deck or let it continue downloading with the screen off."
Display-off low powered downloads can also be done when the device is running off the battery, with the system going to sleep automatically when it drops below 20%.
Yes, it doesn't leave you a lot of juice to play games with, but it saves you from the risk of data corruption or battery issues, especially if you're downloading huge files.
A release date is yet to be announced by Valve, but judging by their usual practices, players should expect the new feature within the next month or so.
