Cyberpunk 2077 May Not Run Properly on Steam Deck
It looks like the special set of graphic settings for Cyberpunk 2077 running on Steam Deck is not working properly. When it is selected, the game can run at just 20 frames per second.
Recent patch 1.52 for Cyberpunk 2077 has quietly added support for Steam Deck. Along with it the game received new options on Valve's console , a special set of settings called "Steam Deck".
- Cyberpunk 2077 Settings and Graphic Options in PC Version - just like on the Steam deck.
In theory, Steam Deck owners who aren't interested in manually adjusting each visual option individually can choose this predefined set and enjoy the optimal balance between performance and image quality.
In practice...
A YouTube user nicknamed Gaming On Linux posted a video, in which he shows that this "preset" does not always work as it should.
- After selecting the Steam Deck graphic settings, the game runs only at around 22 fps.
- After going down with visual options to "medium" level (with "high" textures left), the number of fps oscillates around 36.
- The above analyses were performed with the game running at 1280x800 resolution in its built-in benchmark.
- Gaming On Linux tested the program with the AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution technology disabled, which was added to Cyberpunk 2077 along with patch 1.50.
AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR for short) drastically increases the frame rate, with almost invisible image degradation.
- The Steam Deck graphic preset is a mish-mash of the same visual options as the "ultra" set of graphic settings.
- Interestingly enough, it seems that when the Steam Deck setting is selected, FSR remains disabled (though of course it can be enabled manually).
Gaming On Linux sums up the situation:
"If people using Steam Deck were to go into the settings, find an option called 'Steam Deck' there, and then learn that it works really badly - that wouldn't look too good.
...sometimes it works properly though?
YouTube user C0haagen also posted a benchmark video from Cyberpunk 2077 with selected Steam Deck settings (at 1280x800 resolution):
- Unlike Gaming On Linux, however, he manually enabled FSR in the game's options and set it to "balanced" level.
- The average frame rate was 51 fps.
- It's worth noting that C0haagen, unlike Gaming On Linux, recorded footage from a hand-held camera. The program used by Gaming On Linux to capture the video may also have affected the game's performance.
Both youtubers use the MangoHud tool to measure the frame rate (it is visible in the upper left corner of the screen). Although in C0haagen's case it incorrectly shows that the FSR is disabled, at the beginning of his video we see clearly that he enabled it in the game options.
Summary
So it looks like the Steam Deck graphic preset was supposed to correspond to the "ultra" setting with the difference being FSR enabled. The problem lies in the fact that selecting it does not automatically enable the latter.
- Another hypothesis is that the Steam Deck setting was supposed to be a mix of medium and high graphic options, but due to an error after selecting it, everything is set to ultra.
- There aren't too many gameplay recordings from Cyberpunk 2077 running on Steam Deck, making it difficult to take a closer look at the whole thing.
At this point everything indicates that in order for Cyberpunk 2077 to function properly on Steam Deck, all you have to do is adjust the graphic settings yourself, choose a preset from the "low" to "high" or "ultra" range, or "Steam Deck" with FSR technology enabled.
CD Projekt RED (the game's creators) is probably aware of this situation, as the game's card on Steam includes information that Cyberpunk 2077 is playable on Valve's mobile device, but requires manual configuration of graphic settings in order to run efficiently.
Further analysis by Gaming On Linux
Gaming On Linux posted the following comment under C0haagen's video:
"Disable FSR, restore the default settings, and then set the graphic options to Steam Deck option. Then restart the game and turn on the benchmark. What result do you get? Something is wrong here, because the graphics in your video look much worse (even taking FSR into account) than in mine."
After that he specified it in the comment under his video:
"Update: upon closer investigation, it turned out that the Steam Deck setting is definitely not working properly. By itself, it simply contains the same options as the ultra preset, but there is more to it than that.
Switching directly from the medium preset to Steam Deck and running the benchmark, I found the performance to be higher than what I posted in my video (...).
It seems that Cyberpunk sticks to the graphic settings you had before you selected the Steam Deck option, and any restart of the game after choosing that preset resets them back to ultra."
- Cyberpunk 2077 Review - Samurai, You've Got a Great RPG to Play!
- Cyberpunk 2077 - game guide
- Cyberpunk 2077 - official website
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