Steam Deck users are getting a new way to improve console performance in the November update

The Valve Steam Deck console now gets more frame rate options, allowing players to choose different variations to improve performance while maintaining gameplay fun and portability.

For all the benefits that the Steam Deck offers to people who want to play great PC games on the go, the mobile nature of the device does result in some concessions in gaming performance. Reducing the Steam Deck’s framerate was always an option to compensate for this, with specific settings at 15, 30 and the usual 60 FPS. With Valve’s November updateHowever, new options are being added to this list, including 10 and 20 FPS modes.

This update is already available in the Steam Deck beta client, allowing users to test it before it can be released as an update to the main system.

These two new options open up many possible frame rate and refresh rate combinations, the best example being the one mentioned on the Steam Deck news page. For example, if a gamer uses a 60Hz monitor, playing a game at 60FPS will work smoothly but require more power from the computer. However, if you choose the 20 FPS option and triple the number of frames, it will be the same as the 60 Hz screen.

This not only improves gaming performance, but the lower frame rate also results in less strain on the screen and therefore longer battery life for the console. This allows games of your choice to be played longer compared to the previous settings. Considering how quickly the Steam Deck’s battery can drain depending on what game you’re playing, this could make the difference in giving you half or even a full hour more entertainment.

However, this update requires some adjustment time for both the player and the console, as getting used to the new frame rate could disturb players’ eyes and cause new problems for the console. Although the update is a new addition, this slider is still in beta, so there will likely be bugs from time to time.

All of these possible combinations are available via a slider in the performance overlay or in the Steam Deck performance settings. However, users can disable this default connection by going to Settings, then Display, and clicking Advanced.

To access this updated setting for the Steam Deck, users will need to go to their device’s Beta channel starting November 7th. At the time of this news update, the set date for rollout to all devices is unknown.