Valve's Steam Deck now allows players to download games with the screen turned off

After three years of countless requests from players, Valve has finally updated the Steam Deck with a low-power mode that allows the handheld to download games and updates with the screen turned off.

The details:

• Since the Steam Deck launched back in February 2022, players have been forced to keep the device and its screen powered on in order to download games and updates. If they turned off the handheld, the download would pause entirely, forcing users to either wait for large installations to complete or lose progress on their transfers, leading to endless requests for a new power mode with downloads enabled.
• Luckily, Valve has released a new update that includes the highly requested feature that allows the Steam Deck to complete active downloads in a display-off low-power mode that significantly reduces power consumption. The handheld will automatically enter sleep mode once downloads are finished, and players can briefly illuminate an information screen showing download status simply by pressing a button or moving the device.
• The new download mode is enabled by default when the Steam Deck is plugged into a power supply, though players can also enable it to work when the system is being powered using its battery. The feature will activate automatically if the device is left idle for a set period or manually via the power button when a download is in progress.
• Currently, the feature is only available to those in the Steam Deck Beta and Preview update channels, but it will be available to all users in the near future.