Key Takeaways
1. Valve categorizes games for Steam Deck as Verified, Playable, Unsupported, or Unknown to assist users in gauging performance before purchase.
2. Resident Evil Requiem is labeled as Unsupported, indicating potential launch or performance issues, but it is found to be quite playable with minor tweaks.
3. Performance tests show that indoor scenes can exceed 60 FPS on the Steam Deck with minimal modifications, while outdoor settings are more challenging.
4. Adjusting graphics settings can significantly improve gameplay, achieving up to 80 FPS in indoor scenes with lifted frame rate caps.
5. The reliability of Valve’s verification process is questionable, as some Verified titles have performance issues, while some Unsupported titles may run well with adjustments.
Valve has a system to help users of Steam Deck figure out how well a game works on the device before they make a purchase. Games are categorized as Verified, Playable, Unsupported, or Unknown based on their performance. This should ideally assist gamers in determining whether a title will function smoothly. Nevertheless, the system isn’t always reliable, and Resident Evil Requiem is a recent example of this issue.
Resident Evil Requiem’s Status
Currently, Resident Evil Requiem is labeled as Unsupported on the Steam Deck. Generally, this label indicates that the game either fails to launch on the device or has significant performance or compatibility issues. However, the team at SteamDeckHQ ran tests on the game using Valve’s handheld and discovered that it is indeed quite playable.
Performance Insights
SteamDeckHQ noted that the game performs surprisingly well without extensive modifications. They mentioned that indoor settings run much smoother and can even achieve over 60 FPS on the Steam Deck with minimal effort. On the other hand, outdoor settings are more challenging, particularly in the initial segment where players navigate as Leon outside.
The game automatically utilizes FSR 1 and limits the frame rate to 30 FPS on the Steam Deck. Nevertheless, tweaking a few options can greatly enhance the gameplay experience. For example, by using mostly low graphics settings, switching to FSR 3.1.5 on Balanced or Quality, and adjusting texture filtering to 16x anisotropic, players can achieve a notably smoother performance.
Adjustments and Results
With these adjustments, they managed to target 45 FPS at a 90Hz refresh rate on the Steam Deck OLED while keeping HDR active. The power consumption during gameplay varied from 16W to 18W, which is quite acceptable for a handheld device. When the frame rate cap was lifted, indoor scenes could even reach about 80 FPS, although this increased power usage to over 22W. From these findings, it’s clear that Resident Evil Requiem may not meet the standards for the Verified label, but it certainly feels more like Playable than Unsupported.
This scenario brings to light a persistent problem with Valve’s verification process. Some titles labeled as Verified still face performance issues, while others marked as Unsupported can run well with minor tweaks. A prime example is Borderlands 4, which boasts a Verified badge yet has faced criticism for its poor performance on the handheld. So, it’s advisable to look at user feedback and gameplay analyses rather than just depending on Valve’s system when considering a purchase.
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