The Steam Deck is one of the most important gaming devices ever, holding a computer more powerful than a PS4 in the palms of your hand is amazing.
However, a big issue with the Steam Deck is its battery life; from 100% charge, it will only last around 2 hours playing a AAA game. To fix this issue, can you use the Steam Deck while charging, or does it cause problems?
You can use the Steam Deck while charging. The Steam Deck charger is 45W, but it only draws 25W of power, so the Deck will not lose charge while gaming while plugged in. However, it will not charge as fast as the Steam Deck is drawing power simultaneously.
Here you can see my YouTube video, where I explain how the Steam Deck draws power, and video proof of the Steam Deck charging while playing.
In the below photo, I played Elden Ring and got a low battery, then I plugged in my Steam Deck and started to play again with no problems.
What surprised me is the Steam Deck didn’t get hot once plugged in while I was playing it. Valve created the Steam Deck with playing and charging in mind; if, like me, you’d love to take your Deck with you on a long plane journey, buying a power bank like this amazing Anker one from Amazon which I own is a must, otherwise, the Decks battery will not last the journey.
I bought Elden Ring at a crazy 36% off at the amazing game key retailer CD keys; trust me, they are legit. I’ve bought countless games from one and never had an issue. Take a look at the best deals CD keys has to offer here.
One issue with the Deck is downloading games takes a LONG time! Can the Deck download in sleep mode? See the answer in my article.