Valve says games on the Steam Deck will run at 30 frames per second in native 800p resolution

Aspects such as the resolution had already been confirmed, with a screen LCD of seven inches and 1280 x 800p . Now we can also confirm that it will reach 30 frames per second

[gamingtext2020]

That’s unfortunate.

[Ron_Danger]

Especially since, according to the pc master race across several websites like Reddit, 30 FPS is “literally unplayable.”

[EvertonFC]

30fps on a handheld is fine for me but it is funny to see how the PC master race will react to this with what you said about PC gamers hating on 30fps lol.

[MadLad]

It's a little different when you're running full blown AAA experiences on the go. If your PC is struggling to hit more than 30fps in more modern games, it's definitely time to upgrade.
If your console starts recieving more and moves 30fps titles, out of necessity, it's time for a refresh, or a new console, and console only gamers should acknowledge that.

Yes, 30fps is the bare minimum you should accept. But I doubt you'll find droves of PC gamers straight up saying, with honesty, that 30fps doesn't create a playable experience.
Sounds more like you just have a biased generalization of the PC gaming community and are looking to take jabs at them.

You also have the ability to adjust the settings however you see fit. Personally, when I'm trying to run more modern games on one of my older builds, I found 42fps to be the sweet spot where games feel more responsive, and you start to widdle out that motion blur you get at lower fps.

[ABizzel1]

This is taken out of context, they had said earlier that the Steam deck should be able to play any current game at least at 30fps. The display is 60Hz, and there are several games that were already confirmed to run at 60fps on the Steam Deck.

[ElvisHuxley]

It's far from unplayable, but once you experience 60fps as the standard, it's hard to go back to 30 tbh.

[Kryptix1]

@ABizzel1

Dude, this a console focused site. What do these people know about the specs on this badass machine. Not is it only using the new Ryzen and Navi architecture, but the latest LPDDR5 RAM architecture which is very power efficient and 4x faster than Switch's LPDDR4. Flexibility is the key point here. Do you want 30fps on Ultra settings or 60fps at Medium-High settings. It's already something PS5 does.

Day One buy for me.

[Eonjay]

Not really. It's a PC. You should be able to customize settings to get the desired result that you want. It's basically a pocket PS4 with a better CPU and memory. It will run plenty of games at 60 hertz. I feel like this should be obvious.

[n1kki6]

People down voting this are idiots. This is what happens when console gamers who think they have technical acumen try to talk about hardware. You can adjust it to your liking.

[Smok91]

Knowing a company will tout its best numbers you think that? I mean sure, you can turn the graphics to mud. If it’s capable of 60 FPS they’re morons in their delivery of info.

See below for hilarious comment.

[specialguest]

It's not obvious to them, because a lot of these commentors come from the 30 fps locked console world and they assumed since it's a PC it should automatically be 60 fps on all games. They don't understand it depends on the hardware and how demanding the game is. However, tweaking settings to get higher frame rate is foreign to them. That's where the disconnect lies

[n1kki6]

@specialguest. Also battery power isn't unlimited more power take more battery. It's a constraint in every handheld. For some reason gamers think you can have 60fps, to resolutions, all the bells and whistles, and great battery. It's not how it works.but again. This is what happens when people think they have technical acumen just because they play video games.

[Amplitude]

It's almost like maybe y'all should check out footage of it running at 60fps rather than just reading text-based arguments on the most toxic gaming website out there as your main method of gathering info

[-Hermit-]

Why are so many of you downvoting Eonjay? Do you people not understand how pc gaming works?

[Studio-YaMi]

@-Hermit-
apparently not, some people are just too dense like that...

[frostypants]

I've probably built more gaming PCs than all of you combined. This thing is a turd. Stop polishing it. It is not the handheld PC messiah you've been hoping for.

[-Hermit-]

@frostypants

If you think you know so much, then how were you so easily fooled by a misinformed article? If you knew so much, then surely you would see right through it.

[ABizzel1]

Everyone disagreeing is flatout wrong, just like this random site. The steam deck has already been running games at 60fps the system isn't locked to 30fps, it's a PC.

Looking at all these comments it's crazy how ignorant most of the people are on here (look up the definition of ignorant). I see people who claim to have PCs in various topics, yet the majority of people on here actually think this is true. The Steam deck has already been shown running games at 60fps, it has a 60Hz display for a reason, and games were running on weaker Quad-Core processors without multi-tread performance for the last 20 years without any real issues at 720p.

Educate yourselves. Most of you bet not be talking about specs or performance every again.

[ElvisHuxley]

Surely this is the case, would be silly to arbitrarily lock less demanding games at 30.

[RaveTears]

Damn, I thought it was 60 frames lock either in 720-800.

[gamingtext2020]

I thought so as well, I hope I’m wrong on this matter, but I see the Steamdeck failing like all the other Valve products.

[Eonjay]

In every title at every setting? How could that be. It's not reasonable to assume that. Like at all.

[specialguest]

There isn't any specific Deck versions of the PC games like a console. You're playing the same PC games available on Steam and the performance of the game will depend on the Decks hardware and how it handles the games. If you're playing games that are graphically demanding, 30 fps is optimal, but like any PC you could tweak the settings to lower the graphics to improve frame rate. This isn't a revelation. I thought people knew this 😂

Very basic common knowledge. Non-PC gamers who are ignorant, come feed me the disagrees. I command you

[-Hermit-]

Why would you assume it would have a locked frame rate? It's a pc, it runs the same way a pc would.

[Fluke_Skywalker]

The screen itself may be locked to 30hz refresh though 🤔 If not then I would have to assume that you can turn he graphics to potato mode and get 60fps like any other PC.

[-Hermit-]

It's a 60hz screen, why would it be locked to 30hz?

[Fluke_Skywalker]

I simply raised a question. I hadn't seen it stated anywhere what the screen refresh rate actually was.

[Kryptix1]

It is, the article is spreading false information. Valve stated the minimum target is 30fps because some games you might want to run on high settings. PC games always had flexibility, it will definitely be up to the person if they want to sacrifice graphics or performance.

I'm not surprised N4G would push forward this specific article over dozens where Valve has explained what it means.

[iplay1up2]

When I first read this, I was very disappointed. If this is true it is a hard Pass for me. Glad I didn't pre order.

[masterfox]

wow well that's disappointing. PSP 2 please :D

[FallenAngel1984]

Vita already exists

[MajorLazer]

Vita was the perfect handheld. Shame Sony barely supported it.

[specialguest]

The handheld division of Sony has been long dead. No one wants to play halfassed mobile versions of PS games. Sony had the wrong approach with the Vita and it didn't help that they implemented a proprietary expensive sd card. History is my proof since the Vita support prematurely dwindled into abandonment. A new hardware does nothing to bring back the PSP if it's just going to be a hollow soul. Sony saw that division was not profitable and moved on long ago. Sorry, reality stings doesn't it?

[Sirk7x]

I love my Vita, and it's an amazing handheld when hacked. Probably the best use for it honestly lol. Unfortunately, Sony's first party offerings, while mostly great IP, do not make for great handheld experiences. That's Nintendo's bread and butter.

[AspiringProGenji]

Huge turn off for me.

[TheEroica]

Sorry you had higher expectations... I like gaming on the go. I'll adjust settings to my liking and enjoy the experience. It's gonna be awesome.

[ManMarmalade]

Same. I just enjoy playing games in general, competitive or not.

[jonny897]

Valve coder elaborated on this- The "30 FPS target" refers to the floor of what we consider playable in our performance testing; games we've tested and shown have consistently met and exceeded that bar so far. There will also be an optional built-in FPS limiter to fine-tune perf vs. battery life. https://twitter.com/Plagman...

[Rimeskeem]

But can it run easier games at higher frames?

[Sirk7x]

It should be able to, and it's a 60hz display. The best use for the Steam Deck will probably be for emulation, retro gaming, and media. It seems to be a quite capable device. I can see it being a hit in multiplayer gaming with friends. LAN party kinda stuff.

[FallenAngel1984]

Is it limited to that

I doubt it but I’d still like clarification

[Fishy Fingers]

Haha of course not, 30fps is the minimum target frames valve considers playable. So it's 30fps and up.

https://twitter.com/Plagman...

[TheExecutioner]

This is explain why there is no game cannot run on vale deck

[Shuckylad]

It’s pc games, so just turn various settings down to get higher fps. 800p is pretty easy to drive, and the small screen won’t show up the lower settings to much.

[Studio-YaMi]

Can you please share some of that "common sense" with some of the "uneducated" on this thread? ... please?

[silvacrest]

People jumping on the bandwagon that the steam deck is crap because it only targets 30fps need to improve there reading comprehension.

30 fps is just the minimum target, that's all

[TakeTori]

Clickbait. A Valve employee has stated that 30 fps is a target. There is no 30 fps lock, only an optional one for battery optimisation. All games tested by Valve reached and exceeded 30 fps.

[mkis007]

i mean it did say 2-8 hour battery life... 60fps would halve that. I'm still on the fence as to picking it up or not...I mostly want it because of the tech, but idk if that will be enough vs just getting a laptop.

[lonewolf10]

My interest is to have a small unit to pack when away from home, plug it into a bigger screen at my destination (especially great for places with bad wireless/internet) with the games I want installed. I'm not a handheld gaming fan by a long shot.

[mkis007]

Ya thats me too i suppose

[Sephiroushin]

Its just that, a target. It means that most if not all games can run at 800p @30fps (just like PS & Xbox runs 4k @30FPS on demanding games) so those are probably demanding games in these case as well, but games like idk terraria, disgaea, and non demanding games could run 800p @60fps or more

[-Hermit-]

Whoever is downvoting this is an idiot.

[Sephiroushin]

People dont know how things work and get triggered or they believe i was attacking consoles which I was not...

[gold_drake]

there you have it.

[-Hermit-]

Yes, we have proof that you have no clue how pc's work.

[gold_drake]

sorry that my comment, which didnt say anything at all, triggered you.

[-Hermit-]

@Myst-Vearn

"what does that even mean?"

It means he doesn't know how pc gaming works or how hardware works.

"that portable piece of hardware is weak and games won't run well"

At 720p it is totally capable of running games well. You obviously have no idea how much performance you can get out of lowering a games resolution to 720p and adjusting graphical settings. It's totally different to a console because the sacrifices you make aren't just limited to the hardware, it's up to the user to adjust settings to suit their preference.

"It's as unimpressive as the Nintendo Switch"........you're just as clueless as some of the others on this site. This destroys the Switch. This thing has a good chance at running a game like Doom Eternal at 60fps at 720p. The Switch struggles to maintain 720p at all, and at only 30fps. The Steam Deck can actually run games like Jedi Fallen Order, the Switch doesn't have it all because it's just not powerful enough.

[thesoftware730]

See, I knew as more came out it would not be all peaches and cream.

I still think it's a good product if it not hit with too many issues on launch, but the Switch killer or whatever people are calling it needs to stop.

[gold_drake]

yea, i was really suspicious and ppl on here celebrated it as the best thing ever ha. i wonder how many are gonna cancel their pre order now

[ocelot07]

Why would they cancel? If anyone thought all games would run at 60 only have them selves to blame.

If anyone is silly enough to think that the steam deck is only capable of 800p 30fps on all games are just as silly.

Old games like GTA 5 should run at 60fps on this. But newer titles like for example Days Gone might only be able to do locked 30 or unlocked 40-45 fps.

[ScootaKuH]

Ooh, if people cancel their reservations I might jump up the queue 😏

Also I think people are taking this out of context. It's not locked 30fps, it's the target base framerate. Also doesn't mean that with a few tweaked settings higher framerates wouldn't be possible. Let's just wait and see. I'm happy either way. Most games on Switch run at 30fps and I don't see people complaining about that.

[badboyz09]

Portable laptops are better

[Sirk7x]

Portable laptop doesn't really have buttons and an interface that you can fit into your hand and play. Not really the same thing. Gaming laptops are also quite expensive, and obviously larger.

[badboyz09]

This thing is large and expensive. A decent gaming laptop can cost no more $600.

[TimeSkipLuffy]

The power of 15W! :D

[Kados]

False article, cutting out part of the quote.

https://twitter.com/Plagman...

30fps is the MINIMUM target. Games have consistantly exceeded 30fps in testing.

[Hawk198666]

Glad i didn't pre order, imagine spending that much for 720p 30fps! Lol no thanks. Fail.

[Sirk7x]

If there wasn't a market for handheld gaming, the Switch wouldn't be on track to being one the best selling consoles of all time.

[ufo8mycat]

Meh who cares?
People who own a PC, PS5 or XBOX Series X aren't going to care about this.

If you are willing to downgrade your gaming experience by playing on such a tiny screen, you aren't going to care about it 'only running at 30fps'. If you cared about such things, you wouldn't be gaming on a small screen to begin with.

[jznrpg]

I have a PS5 , a Switch and a mediocre gaming PC that I never use and I preordered one but not day one . My mindset is wait and see what the pros and cons are and by the time my preorder is available I can either keep it or cancel . It sounds cool in theory but we need to see real world numbers not what Valve is telling us .

[kryteris]

WXGA.

[ikarodemon]

30Hz screen????

[Ryushaa]

GODDDDD!!!!!!!! This headline, those baboons comment here. Such pit for you console peasants that don't understand PC gaming, or how to read apparently.
The interview stated that games will run AT LEAST at 30 fps. Do you want 60+ fps? Use even lower settings, mod the game, render it at 360p. But if you expected this piece of tech to run Cyberpunk 2077 at 60 fps on High you're need psychological help.

[Studio-YaMi]

"those baboons comment here"
Very very truthful words right here ...
Console-only gamers are so out of touch with basic pc architecture it's just ... sad!

[n1kki6]

Or even better, that fact that it will have fidelity FX so you could render at a lesser resolution and upscale. So many options. Unfortunately console warriors cannot think outside of the closed ecosystem box they live in. They argue daily about specs and performance in which they have no control and can't comprehend that you can adjust settings to your liking on a PC.

[cloganart]

Clickbait Article. 30FPS is the minimum limit.

[DeadlyFire]

As far as a portable console it's about the best specs out there so it should be fine for 90+ percent of games.

[Gatsu]

30 fps is just fine, I don't get all the 60fps worshipping here.

[n1kki6]

It's also worth noting that this will likely include AMD's DLSS option, Fidelity FX. In theory, if you choose, you could render at say 540p and have it upscale resulting in nearly identical visuals, along with higher frame rates and better battery. Again, this is a PC, watching all the console warrior jump in here and prove they have no understanding is HILARIOUS.

[Father__Merrin]

30fps meh meh meh the PC Custard race will love this one. They claim 30fps hurts thier eyes, they claim they can't use a "controller thingy" they keep saying ONLY RESOLUTION AND FPS Matters and now ps5seriesx have many games 60fos including a 4k output they have changed thier inkling to 60fps is old school 120fps is now king.

When will they learn? If someone for eg is enjoying a game at 30fps in Mozambique the master race guy from eg Germany has to somehow step in and say "I've got a 2080ti I've got 309 core cpu I've got 900gb ram"

That person doesn't care what you say.... When will they learn

[John_McClane]

30 fps is the minimum starting point, article looks like click bait but I didn't click so can't say for sure.

[John_McClane]

30 fps is the minimum starting point.

[Gunstar75]

Comparable to Series X lol

[Binarycode]

I said it's underpowered.

If the games are have the same pc settings that you can adjust, you'll be able to get 60fps in some games.

I don't think it'll sell well anyway tbh. Some extreme gamers will buy it, but the average consumer will not.

Nintendo and co sell well because of the exclusives.

[frostypants]

LOL. Hype deflated, just like that. Once again...Valve sucks at hardware. This thing is gonna be so niche.

[vulsker]

I don't think this is accurate. I read a different report a few days ago that said they will make that a target if need be to make sure games run on it.

[jznrpg]

Need more info . Some games at 30fps is fine . The majority of games at 30fps not fine .

[AngainorG7X]

Fine by me

[NitendoPowa]

I wonder if the pc fans will keep that same energy

[Destiny1080]

they could have made the screen 40hz

massive taxing games could run at 20fps and every other game at 40fps are a combination of both

[ManMarmalade]

That's great for a handheld though. Just enjoy the games. Not everyone is picky about framerates aside from PC gamers apparently. Id get this is I could afford it. I honestly want to see what modders do to it when it's out.

[XxINFERNUSxX]

And what about future games a few years from now that will be much more taxing. There's only so much you can set to low to make it playable. 😁 Unless the devs target the platform then maybe it might be ok.

[WheatBread]

I'm no longer interested

[Bender6502]

Think of steam deck as a PC Valve say- Yes, a very low end PC. A 1.6TF PC with a medium level/low level CPU. All these people saying ah well, you know what, It's a PC so you can adjust it to get 60fps! Get out of here. If you want one great, but stop making out that somehow 30fps @ 720p is now acceptable. To give some context I would the like PC gamer's applauding this thing to be honest and say what an equivalent 1.6TF graphics card would be in terms of AMD or NVIDIA desktop model. It won't be something you can still buy today, that's for sure.

[justadelusion]

Ew.

[NitendoPowa]

OLED Switch has a better screen and better games anyone who down vote this comment I will karate chop your faces

[UltimateOwnage]

This is a bunk article. They’re targeting 30FPS minimum, just like the consoles. That’s not at all surprising.

[Vengeance1138]

The author of this article is literally one of, if not, THE dumbest article author on N4G. Way to completely take a quote out of context.

[Good-Smurf]

Seems like they would have to mess around with settings to get that 30 fps number.
I can already see some tried to melt their Deck running demaning game at Ultra settings at 4K.

[gamerben]

Guys the steam deck is gonna be like any other gaming hardware... It may reach 60 fps or even more. It depends on how well it can run the game in question. This estimate by valve is probably just a conservative estimate for what performance of newer games is like.