I’ve been curious about downloading games while my Steam Deck is in sleep mode. I’ve come across some older discussions, but I’m not sure if anything has changed since then. The requirement to switch to desktop mode seems inconvenient. If anyone has insights or updates on this issue, I’d appreciate it!
3 Answers
Honestly, there’s really no need to fix it. Just switch to desktop mode, and it works fine for downloads. It seems straightforward to me!
It sounds like there’s some confusion around what sleep mode really is. If you want proper downloads, then the device can’t just be in a low power state. If you’re hoping for just the screen to turn off while downloading, that’s a different request. I usually just dim my screen all the way down when I’m docked.
But hey, if you can figure out a way to have the screen turn off during downloads, that would be great!
I thought the same thing, that it doesn’t actually go into a true sleep mode. Maybe there’s a workaround to get the screen to auto-turn off?
It’s actually normal for devices in sleep mode not to download anything since they primarily cut power to most components. When a device goes to sleep, it saves things in RAM, but everything else gets shut down, so downloads won’t happen until it’s awake.
That’s true for most devices, but modern consoles like the Switch can still download while in a low power mode. It’s frustrating that the Steam Deck doesn’t support that, especially considering the concerns around screen burn-in. I wouldn’t want my screen on all the time just to grab a game.
Right, I assumed the Steam Deck’s sleep mode was just a power-saving measure without stopping downloads, but it sounds like it lacks that feature. Is there any way to turn off the screen while still downloading?
It doesn’t seem ideal for usability, though. Why should we have to switch modes just for that?