Steam Deck owners looking to multitask between heavy titles now have a new software option to consider. A community developer has created a tool that pauses games in a way that mimics the quick resume features found on dedicated gaming consoles. This functionality allows players to switch between games without losing progress or closing applications, addressing a common limitation of the handheld's operating system.
New Decky plugin freezes games to free system resources for multitasking
The software, named Deep Pause, operates as a plugin for the Decky loader, which is the standard customization framework for the Steam Deck. Developed by a user known as Chuck-Spadina88, the tool targets the underlying system resources to manage game states more efficiently. It functions by freezing the active game session and reclaiming the computational power that the game was previously consuming.
Technical details indicate that the plugin can reclaim approximately 92 to 95 percent of the memory originally allocated to a frozen game. It also frees up CPU and GPU utilization, making those resources available for a second game or other tasks. This level of memory management requires deep, low-level access to the system's memory management processes to function correctly.
The tool is currently not available for public download or testing. The developer states that the plugin is not yet public and requires an open-source review process before it can be vetted by the community. Users will need to wait for official release channels to access the software once it has undergone this necessary scrutiny.
Source: SteamDeckHQ
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