Tests Show Steam Deck Games Load Super-fast on MicroSD

The lowest version of Valve's Steam Deck has only 64GB of internal storage. However, this may not be as much of a problem as it appears. Early tests indicate that games will run incredibly quickly from a micro SD card. YouTubers with early access to the devices have been testing the load times of the Steam Deck. According to PC Gamer, certain games are running only slightly slower or at the same pace as with the SSD. 

Linus Tech Tips and The Phawx, two tech YouTubers, conducted the speed tests. Both YouTubers were able to put the Steam Deck through its paces ahead of its February 25 release date. When loading games from an external micro SD card, the results are promising, especially because many titles have large installation files.

The number of games available for testing currently is limited. These games are most probably best optimized for the system at launch. The Phawx discovered that load times on games like Dead Cells and Street Fighter V were nearly identical between SSD and micro SD. Surprisingly, the longest delay is around 2 seconds. Other titles, such as Portal 2 and Ghostrunner, took slower to load on the micro SD card. The greatest delay is roughly 17 seconds as per the tests.

Both YouTubers also concluded that users had very little to lose with loading their Steam Deck games directly from a micro SD card. This is really good news since the internal storage of the Steam Deck is 512GB for the most costly model. Even the entry-level 64GB model, with a 1TB micro SD card, will make an excellent gaming machine.

The portable hardware of the Steam Deck does have some limitations. However, various tech testing indicates that gamers will need to be more attentive to their game settings in order to get the most out of the device's battery life.

So, what do you make of the news? Are you looking to get your Steam Deck? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.