I recently had to replace the battery in my Steam Deck because it was bloated. I bought my 512GB LCD Steam Deck in January 2023 from a local retailer since Valve doesn’t officially sell them here. I’ve been primarily using it while it’s plugged in, both with the official charger and a reliable Ugreen CD361 65W charger after the official one failed. It worked fine until around late 2024 when I started noticing issues like a discolored spot on the screen and a cracked back. Eventually, the battery swell became visible, leading me to stop using it and get it replaced. Now I’m curious if there are steps I can take to prevent this from happening again. Is it a matter of luck, or could it be related to my usage habits, charging practices, or the hot climate here in the Philippines? I’ve heard mixed opinions on playing while charging. What do you think?
3 Answers
Playing while charging isn’t inherently bad, but keep in mind that your Steam Deck maintains the battery at around 90-100% during passthrough charging. Keeping it at such a high charge for extended periods can be detrimental over time. To help mitigate risks, consider installing Decky and using PowerTools to set a charge limit at around 60% if you’re often plugged in. This might help prolong battery health for heavy users like you!
I think your charging habits could definitely influence the battery health. I’ve had issues before when charging in extreme temperatures, especially below 0°C, so be wary of the heat as well. Maybe play a bit unplugged when you can, or at least avoid leaving it plugged in all day if possible. It might help to reduce the charge cycles effectively!
Thanks for the tip! I usually keep it in a hot room, so I’ll have to monitor that. Playing unplugged might be tough, but I’ll give it a shot!
It sounds like you’re already doing a good job with charging, but I’d recommend watching out for how often you let it sit at a high charge. It’s common for users to face battery issues if the device consistently stays charged but unused. A regular practice of letting it drain a bit before recharging can definitely help.
That’s good advice! I’ll try to avoid keeping it charged all the time. Thanks for the input!
That’s intriguing! I typically keep my Deck around 90-100%. Setting it to 60% sounds like a smart move, and I’ll definitely try using PowerTools to manage that.