It’s getting too hot to play the Steam Deck or Switch outside, makers warn

The ability to play portable consoles outside the house is one of their main perks. As countries around the world have suffered through record-breaking heat waves, two major portable console makers are warning players that their products don't function well in high ambient temperatures.

"If you use the Nintendo switch in a hot place, the temperature of the main unit may become high," Nintendo of Japan said in a machine translation. If the temperature of the main unit gets too high, it may sleep. The company told players to make sure the vents on the console and docking unit are not blocked by dust or debris, and to install that dock in a location that does not retain heat.

The steam deck may start to throttle performance to protect itself in high ambient temperatures. The Steam Deck's internal APU starts scaling back performance when the chip itself hits a temperature of 100 C (212 F) and will shut down if it tops 105 C (221 F). The system can limit battery charging rates and download speeds after that.

It’s getting hot in here...

Both companies have been warned of the heat before. 35 C is the upper limit for the "safe operational range" of Nintendo and Valve's consoles. It's notable that both companies felt the need to publicly reinforce these recommendations now, as temperatures in the UK exceed 40 C for the first time, and heat-driven wildfires force people to leave their homes in France, Spain, and Portugal.

We noted in our initial review that the Switch can get warm during extended play sessions on high-end games. Most Switch games are designed with a consistent hardware profile in mind, meaning they shouldn't overtax the processor.

The thermal performance of the steam deck depends on how far the specific graphics and performance settings for a game push the processor Playing with the system settings and/or game settings can help reduce the power draw in extreme conditions.

Are outdoor temperatures going to increase over time? Not to worry; hackers are already experimenting with liquid cooling solutions that should ensure your steam deck keeps running even as the sun goes down.