Record heat can bake your Steam Deck and Switch, devicemakers warn

Japan is currently in a power crisis from the record-breaking heat wave engulfing the country. Office workers in the Tokyo metro government are operating in the dark, rivers and dams are drying up, and nearly 5,000 people have been hospitalized during one of the most excruciating heat waves in Japan’s history.

Here’s how to keep your phone cool and working in a heat wave

Amid Japan’s latest heat wave, Nintendo tweeted out a diagram of the Nintendo Switch with advisories on how to prevent overheating. The company told players that the Switch should be played in an environment between 41 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit (or 5 to 35 Celsius) and to avoid blocking the device’s rear intake and exhaust vents, as reported and translated by Nintendo Life.

On July 19 — the same day the U.K. saw its hottest day on record at 104.3 degrees Fahrenheit (40.2 Celsius) — Valve also tweeted a warning about the Steam Deck to customers weathering this heat wave, advising them to play at an ambient temperature range between 32 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit (or 0 to 35 Celsius). Using the Steam Deck in an environment with a temperature above that will trigger the device to start shuttering its performance; if it gets too hot, it will shut down altogether. This is a common, intentional fail-safe in most electronic devices to prevent damage.

In the past, console manufacturers rarely had to make public announcements about how to mitigate device damage from overheating. But these warnings are likely to become another new normal as the consequences of climate change continue to affect everything from public infrastructure to gaming.