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A little while ago, you may have noticed that SteamOS started requesting to collect your performance data anonymously. Well, according to some eagle-eyed users, we may be getting the first glimpse of the purpose for which this data is being collected.

According to Dex3108 on the ResetEra forums, some text strings in the new Steam client could be pointing towards Steam using this data in order to determine how a game might be expected to run on your hardware.

Steam Estimate Game Performance Text
Source: Dex3108 - ResetEra Forums

This could be an excellent advancement for users who aren't quite sure what their hardware is capable of. The best we have right now is the not entirely trustworthy Steam Deck Verified program, and that's only for the Steam Deck itself. If Valve does go ahead and add this feature to Steam, they will no doubt use it heavily for the Steam Deck and the upcoming Steam Machine.

As you can see from the strings, it looks like they plan on allowing users to input their specific PC specifications, too, so it seems that this won't just benefit Valve's own hardware, but all Steam users. In the days of proprietary hardware, such as Apple's processors on Mac, unique hardware in the form of the Steam Deck and Steam Machine, we will take all the help we can get when it comes to how a game performs on your own unique system. Right now, though, only SteamOS devices have been asked for anonymous performance data, so this may be a while away.

Notebookcheck does make a valid point in their article, however. The results of collected data could be skewed by the game settings chosen, as well as third-party mods or upscaling apps (like Lossless Scaling). Hopefully, the amount of data they collect could give us an accurate average regardless, but this is a hurdle that Valve will no doubt come up against.

Source: Notebookcheck

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Oliver Stogden
Oliver began playing video games at an early age, starting with the SNES console and Commodore Amiga computer. Nowadays, his interest is in the future of portable technology, such as handheld gaming systems, portable power stations/banks, and portable monitors. And seeing just how far we can push these devices.
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