Cyberpunk 2077 Patch 2.0: Benchmarks with Steam Deck

CD Project RED has done its best to update Cyberpunk 2077 with the latest technology with Patch 2.0, and the system requirements have increased. This raises the question of whether Valve’s Steam Deck is still capable of handling the title. ComputerBase has tested it.

Don’t worry: the Windows PC test follows

A modified engine, DLSS 3.5 with Ray Reconstruction, and gameplay reviews – these are the big buzzwords used to promote Patch 2.0 for Cyberpunk 2077, which has been available since Thursday. The Phantom Liberty DLC, which will be released on September 26, builds on this.

This will be followed by detailed testing of the 2.0 patch on a Windows gaming PC, including detailed DLSS 3.5 analysis – as announced in CB-Funk #35 but not until next week.

Today, this article is once again about the question: Does the game still run on Steam Deck despite the increased requirements?

Benchmarks on Steam Deck with Linux

In the new system requirements for Cyberpunk 2077 with patch 2.0, the developers are talking about a multi-threaded quad-core processor, a mid-range graphics card from 2016, 12 GB of RAM and 6 GB of VRAM as the minimum requirements.

System Requirements vs Steam Deck

The Steam Deck can supply CPU cores with four Zen-2 cores, but after that it becomes rare. The 8-unit RDNA2 CU does not achieve graphics performance at the minimum requirements, and the built-in memory is not sufficient. Does this mean Cyberpunk 2077 is over on Valve’s mobile device?

Not quite, because the Steam Deck doesn’t need to use a Full HD display. The resolution of the mobile device is 1,280 x 800 and thanks to the FSR 2 implemented in the game, the GPU performance should be even lower than what was intended when creating the recommended system requirements – because it does not take into account the downsampling process.

This is how it was tested on the mobile device

The same scene that had been used in the editorial team’s GPU tests for two years was chosen as the reference scene. Due to the presence of many NPCs and complex lighting as well as numerous effects, the sequence presented a challenge for the equipment used.

The latest SteamOS 3.5 preview has been used on the Steam Deck, which is said to feature increased performance.

Many presets have been tested, with Cyberpunk 2077 already offering its own “Steam Deck” preset for a long time. In addition to the optimized settings, which are a combination of “Low” to “High,” the FSR-2’s “Balanced” setting is critical to performance on a handheld console. Accordingly, each preset tested was tested with a “balanced” FSR 2 in addition to its default setting for improved comparison.

It’s amazing what Valve’s little portable device can achieve when games are optimized accordingly and there’s also an upsampling option available, which can still be used on a small screen even at very low resolution.

A consistently smooth gaming experience with consistent frame times and 30 FPS on average can be achieved without any issues, even with different presets or settings. Whether it’s the Enhanced “Steam Deck”, “Low” or “Medium” settings with adjusted FSR 2 – 30 FPS is maintained on average. Purely subjectively, the image in the ‘Medium’ preset was slightly more attractive than when selecting ‘Steam Deck’.

Conclusion

If you want to experience Cyberpunk 2077 afresh with the new 2.0 patch or even jump in after fine-tuning by CD Project RED, you can also do so on Valve’s own portable gaming console. The Steam Deck can deliver a smooth gaming experience on a small screen even with the medium preset. The fact that standards are actually possible now also means: 2.0 continues to work seamlessly with Linux – starting from day one. This means that every player, regardless of the platform used, can enter the dystopian future world directly.

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