After recently providing news that production of the Steam Deck is really taking off, Valve now has a new client update for the machine, along with a new version of the SteamOS.
This new update brings a variety of changes, fixes and improvements to the Steam Deck, including new pages to the Steam Overlay, new quality-of-life features like a scheduled Night Mode, performance fixes, and a whole lot more.
Turning on the updates
These recent updates to both the SteamOS and Steam Client contain changelogs which look as thick as the Steam Deck itself. One key thing to mention is that when using the Steam Deck software update channel selector, there are now three options to choose. Stable is suitable for the majority of users, Beta is for testing new Steam features, and Preview will be updated frequently and contain testing for new Steam and system-level features. Here are a few more highlights from the list:
Gyro and Button Chord users will find that the missing Deck buttons are now available in Steam Input. External keyboard users should also now have an easier time when switching to desktop mode, as its failure to show/dismiss has been rectified. The Deck’s keyboard behavior has also been improved, allowing for faster typing when using the trackpad or touchscreen.
If you’re a bit of a screenshot junkie (don’t worry, I feel you), you’ll be pleased to learn that performance has been improved for users with larger albums. Valve also notes there should be fewer crashes when managing screenshots.
When using the system’s special Docked Mode, there is now an option to scale the UI to properly suit different sizes of external display.
Another key improvement has to do with the Steam Deck’s drivers/firmware. The graphics driver has been updated for better compatibility and provides some performance fixes. The Wi-Fi driver has also been updated to help curb disconnections when using a 5GHz connection. Finally, the controller firmware utilities have been updated to provide support for future controller hardware revisions.
These are just a few snippets from the full patch notes, which can be viewed on the official Steam Deck website.
