Valve introduces 30-day average framerate graph for developers to better gauge Steam Deck performance problems

Valve has provided an update for game developers to better track potential performance problems surrounding Deck Verified games on the Steam Deck. In a blog post, the game publisher introduced a new tracking system that tracks Steam Deck performance over a 30-day daily running average based on performance data from users playing Deck Verified games.

The tracking system plots the 30-day daily running average on a graph and is available to see from the partner dashboard for developers. As an example, Valve shared a graph of Portal 2's average frame rate, where the frame rate was around 70 FPS across all 30 days. Framerate data is taken only from users who have opted to allow their data to be submitted to Valve. Valve will also be implementing "variance data" into its running average at a future date to better identify fluctuating or inconsistent frame rates from Steam Deck users.

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On the opposite end, Valve has also introduced user survey results giving Steam gamers a way to provide feedback on a Steam game's Deck Verified status. If a game is suffering from stability, input, performance, legibility, or other problems while running on the Steam Deck, users can provide feedback to help improve the game's playability on the handheld. This feedback is designed to be used with the aforementioned 30-day daily running average for developers, giving them a better way to judge if a game's Steam Deck experience has regressed or improved.

This update is an extension of Valve's February update for SteamOS, which enabled users to share their hardware specifications in user reviews for Steam games. The update also implemented an option for Steam to collect frame rate data anonymously.

These new data collection tools should help make Valve's Deck Verified program even more effective and help ensure whatever verification rating a game has is valid. Valve's Deck verification program has four ratings: "Verified", "Playable", "Unsupported", and "Unknown". For the former three ratings, Valve takes into account the Deck's hardware, form factor, and input controls to make an appropriate rating when testing Deck compatibility with a specific game. "Unknown" simply means Valve has not gotten around to testing the game's compatibility with the Deck.

Valve states that these new data collection tools are meant to help developers diagnose problems coming from the minority of Steam Deck users who don't believe a game in the Steam library should be verified the way it is. According to Valve's statistics, an average of ">95%" of Steam's customer base agrees with a game's Deck verification rating.