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This means that most games running on Steam Deck are letterboxed, so there will be black bars along the top and bottom of the screen.īut the resolution a game runs in is not the only variable when optimizing a game. However, most games don't support this ratio but favour the more commonly used 16:9 ratio at a 1280-by-720 resolution (commonly referred to as 720p). The Steam Deck has a seven-inch screen with a resolution of 1280-by-800 pixels at an aspect ratio of 16:10. So understanding your options is pretty important to get the best possible gameplay experience.īut first: The Steam Deck Screen Resolution explained While some games are so low-demanding performance-wise that they will run at a stable 60 frames per second without problems, other games need much more involvement from your side. This means that, unlike on the Switch, games are seldom (or never) optimized for the Steam Deck out of the box.
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It’s a meme by now, but for the sake of this blog post, it needs to be repeated: The Steam Deck is a PC, and while it resembles a Nintendo Switch, it is not.
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If you have a Steam Deck and want to learn how to optimize every game for better performance and/or better battery life, this one is for you.
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