The Steam Deck can now retroactively record all of your best gaming moments

Key Takeaways

• Steam Deck users can now easily record gameplay moments using a new feature that continuously saves footage to their drive.
• This feature allows for "on demand" recording, letting players capture specific highlights or exciting events within a game.
• The update also includes automatic Timeline and Event markers in compatible games, making it simple to revisit key moments.

Every gamer knows that there are occasional moments during gameplay that defy explanation. No matter how well you might explain it, nothing will capture the true unabated awesomeness of the moment. The only thing to do in those situations is to record the sight that makes you sit back in your seat and shout in amazement. Until now, the Steam Deck has locked this feature behind a beta test, but now it's available to the public — and it comes with some truly impressive features.

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According to Valve, this new feature keeps gameplay "continuously saved to your preferred drive, never exceeding your specified duration and storage limits" (via EuroGamer). The feature includes an "on demand" setting that allows players to start and stop recording at will, perfectly for those intense segments in the middle of a multiplayer game that you can't predict. For example, a normal game of Capture the Flag might be pretty boring, but those last moments where you come in with a clutch win? Those can be a lot more exciting, and something you want to save for posterity.

How to record gameplay on the Steam Deck

The feature will be found within the Steam Overlay. You can activate this by pressing the Steam button on the deck itself, but there's another perk, too. In compatible games, there will also be Timeline and Event markers. Games that have events at certain points throughout the title will automatically record those cutscenes and create markers for every event. It's a similar feature to how Xbox games will save certain in-game events. It's a great tool for revisiting pivotal moments in a game's story or for catching that unbelievable play you pulled off to cinch the victory.

In a time when Twitch and game streaming are more popular than ever before, the ability to save mind-blowing game clips is essential. However, despite the appeal of game streaming, many companies regard Valve's handheld with a fair bit of skepticism. Even EA has banned certain titles like its hit Apex Legends from the Steam Deck, citing its operating system as the cause. According to EA, the Steam OS makes it far too easy for cheaters to take advantage of the system.

Steam Deck

The Steam Deck now supports retroactive recording through a feature that continuously saves footage of gameplay in a buffer, allowing you to save epic moments after they happen.

$399 at Valve