Welcome to your humble abode for the week—Steam House & Home Fest—featuring discounts and demos on games all about the home from now through April 6th at 10AM Pacific.
You'll be floored by all the ways you can make a home your own, whether interior decoration, cleaning, organizing, power-washing, renovating, or anything in between. Chores may be no fun in real life, but in these games, there's nothing quite so satisfying as having everything in its right place.
Steam House & Home Fest is in residence now through April 6th...don't sleep on it!
Note: This update is for the Steam Deck Preview channel, and includes new features that are still being tested. You can opt into this in Settings > System > System Update Channel.
These notes contain all changes since the current stable SteamOS 3.7 release, with the changes added since the previous preview noted in bold
General
New in 3.8.1 Fixed a case where WiFi performance could become degraded until the device was put to sleep or manually reconnected
New in 3.8.1 Fixed excessive trackpad sensitivity on certain early Steam Deck LCD models
Initial support for upcoming Steam Machine hardware
Updated Arch system base
Updated graphics driver with performance and stability fixes
Fixed a case where per-app performance settings would intermittently fail to apply when launching a game
Improved support for the screencasts in Game Mode (e.g. OBS/Discord)
Fixed dropdown menus not appearing in some games
Improved VRR frame pacing
Fixed FSR badge remaining off in the performance overlay, even if it was actually active
Improved support for games that attempt to open PDF files in external viewers
Fixed an issue affecting certain titles (such as "SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide") where the game window could have an incorrect position
Fixed closing certain titles (such as "STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor™") and Starfield resulting in a session crash
Improved support for certain USB racing wheels and USB devices that boot in a non-standard mode
Frequently these are devices that appear as USB storage devices with a driver installer, and must be switched to their normal mode by the OS
Steam Deck controller firmware updates now display update progress on the splash screen
Fixes issue on specific Steam Deck revisions where firmware updates could render the left controller inoperative for that session
Numerous stability and security updates
Bluetooth
Re-re-enable Bluetooth Wake for Steam Deck LCD
Fix for more spurious wake issues that were present in earlier attempts
Audio
Detect HDMI channel count and expose surround configuration if available
Add a setting to allow using Bluetooth headset mics (Bluetooth playback quality will be worse while capture is active)
Restore internal audio device on reboot if set to "Off" in desktop mode
Increase suspend timeout for HDMI devices so initial audio isn't cut off after a few seconds of inactivity
Fixed a bug with switching input devices when a wired headset is plugged in
Fixed an issue where audio underruns could be experienced after sleep/resume
Accessibility
Added an option to force mono audio output
Desktop Mode
KDE Plasma updated to version 6.4.3 from 6.2.5, and now uses wayland by default
Fixes several cases of reduced performance in Desktop Mode compared to Game Mode
Improved support for rotated displays
Better scale factor out of the box on TVs
Adds support for external HDR displays
Adds support for VRR displays
Adds support per-display scale factor
For more information, see Plasma release announcements
Keyboard layout and language are now obeying Game Mode settings
Improved windowing behavior for games running in Proton
System Firmware
Includes Steam Deck LCD BIOS v133
Security updates
Added "Memory Power Down" setup option
Preliminary support for hibernation
Includes Steam Deck OLED BIOS v114
Security updates
Charging LED now changes color when charge limit is reached, rather than only at 100%
Non-Deck
Improved compatibility with recent Intel and AMD platforms
Greatly improved video memory management with discrete GPU platforms
Fixed a compatibility issue with the SteamOS chainloader that could cause a boot failure on some desktop systems with recent UEFI firmware
Power button short and long presses now supported across a wide variety of devices
Improved controller support for OneXPlayer F1 series, GPD Win 5, GPD Win Mini, Anbernic Win600, OrangePi NEO, and Lenovo Legion Go
Added controller support for OneXPlayer X1 series and Lenovo Legion Go 2
Added system and controller firmware update support for the Lenovo Legion Go 2
Added preliminary charge limiting support for Legion Go, Legion Go S, and Legion Go 2 - currently only accessible in Desktop Mode
Added controller RGB LED color settings for the Lenovo Legion Go 2
Added controller, TDP control, and speaker audio support for the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally series
Reduced handheld controller input latency from 5-8ms to 100-500us
Night mode, color vibrance, and color temperature sliders in Steam now work on Z2E and later AMD APUs
Seamless boot fixes for Z2E and later AMD APUs
Automatically handle internally rotated display for some third-party handhelds
Improved motion control support for handhelds with BMI260 IMUs
SD card reliability improvements for some third-party handhelds, including ASUS ROG Xbox Ally, Legion Go 1, Legion Go S, Legion Go 2, and MSI Claw
Fixed washed out colors for Zotac and OneXPlayer handhelds with OLED
Fixed some GPU hangs on Phoenix APU devices (Tales of Arise, Octopath Traveler II)
Fixed ASUS ROG Ally power consumption from fingerprint reader while shut down
Developer
Desktop Mode now uses Wayland by default
X11 support may still be selected via Steam developer settings, or via `steamosctl`
Updated Linux kernel to 6.16
Steam now uses steamos-manager to query available desktop sessions and trigger desktop session switching
Added support for setting the desktop password in developer settings
Initial support for running as a Virtual Machine guest (virtio guest drivers)
Added support for third-party devices to trigger the SteamOS boot menu via EFI variable
Added `custom-update` verb to `atomupd-manager` for easier testing of specific builds
System reports now include more audio debug information
Initial support for LAVD CPU scheduler via `steamosctl set-cpu-scheduler lavd`
The Steam Client Beta has been updated with the following changes:
General
Fixed regression causing download items to shift to side when entries are dragged.
Fixed regression causing Steam overlay to dismiss when Exit Game dialog is shown.
Linux
Fixed regression launching games with custom environments set in launch options.
Steam Input
Fixed regression causing Switch 2 controllers to not function correctly.
We have just shipped an updated Steam Deck Client to the Preview/Beta channel.
General
Fixed regression causing download items to shift to side when entries are dragged.
Fixed regression launching games with custom environments set in launch options.
Steam Input
Fixed regression causing Switch 2 controllers to not function correctly.
This release includes a variety of bug fixes and quality of life improvements for SteamVR.
We continue to focus on OpenXR as our preferred API for new games and applications. SteamVR’s official OpenXR subforum is here and we’d love to hear your feedback, as well as suggestions for new features.
SteamVR:
Overlays now render translucent grey backsides, unless docked to a controller.
Third-party overlay apps won’t have translucent backsides until recompiled with the next OpenVR SDK.
Fix cases where loading drivers would fail for paths containing non-ASCII characters.
Fix motion smoothing not working with latest Nvidia drivers.
Fix for VRAM leak on some AMD systems.
Fixed an issue where the audio thread for Steam Link VR was using too much CPU.
Change how our Oculus driver handles initialization failure. This affects people who use Oculus headsets with the Oculus Desktop app, as well as people who stream to their HMDs (all types, not only Quest) with Virtual Desktop Streamer. The driver will no longer be unloaded on failure, which was causing crashes. Some failures which resulted in safe mode restarts will now display better diagnostic information.
Steam Link:
Fix Pico headsets under-reporting recommended render resolution (increased to 2160x2160 from 1832x1920).
Improvements to slider groupings in settings section.
Reduce stutters when adjusting encoded video size.
OpenXR:
Fix API layers UI not displaying layers if a path for one was not found.
Fix case where XR_META_recommended_layer_resolution would always return low resolutions.
Fix OpenGL subrect being incorrectly flipped.
Fix xrGetSystemProperties maxSwapchainImageWidth/Height reporting (was reporting recommended resolution).
Fix case where XR_META_performance_metrics could return errors for valid performance metric counter paths.
Pressing the system button will no longer instantly cause the session state to change to VISIBLE. The system now waits to decide if the user is doing a quick recenter, screenshot, or opening the dashboard.
Fixed a hang caused by invoking render model APIs and then destroying the instance before the initial API calls finished.
Fix for OpenXR quad layers updating at reduced frame rate under certain conditions.
Fix for OpenXR apps which create multiple sessions and submit quad layers being unable to submit quad layers after the first session (notably: Unreal Editor)
Steam VR Home:
Fixed multiplayer lobbies to accept connections again.
Developers:
SteamVR will no longer forcibly terminate the Unreal Editor process when exiting.
As always, if you are interested, we encourage enrolling into SteamVR Beta by right-clicking on SteamVR in your Steam library, clicking on "Properties" and selecting "Betas" from the list on the left hand side and then clicking "Beta" under Beta Participation. Additionally, if you use Steam Link for Meta Quest, you can opt into the beta here or in-headset by going to your library, clicking the "..." on Steam Link, selecting Settings and clicking the button to the right of "Installed Version Information."
The Steam Link for Meta Quest FAQ page is available here.
If you encounter issues with this update, please post in the SteamVR Bug Report forum. If possible, please include a SteamVR System Report to aid in tracking down your issue. Replies to this post are not tracked for bug reporting purposes. Please use the forum linked above to report issues.
The Steam Client Beta has been updated with the following changes:
Big Picture
Fixed an issue with the "use the gamepadui overlay when a controller is connected" mode where desktopUI chat windows could open and block the Big Picture overlay.
Game Recording
Fixed the instant clip shortcut not working for non-Steam games when using a gamepad.
Linux SteamRT3 Beta
Fixed games failing to start when when some custom launch options are specified.
Fixed client startup loop that could occur in rare circumstance when Steam config directory is in an unexpected state.
Remote Play
Fixed launching with surround sound audio when streaming a game from the library
Added support for streaming 7.1 surround sound
We have just shipped an updated Steam Deck Client to the Preview/Beta channel.
Game Recording
Fixed the instant clip shortcut not working for non-Steam games when using a gamepad.
We have just shipped an updated Steam Deck Client to the Preview/Beta channel.
General
Fixed subtle sizing issues with the Recently Played carousel
The Steam Client Beta has been updated with the following changes:
Remote Play
Added a workaround for an AMD driver bug causing stream corruption and lockups on Windows. This bug is also fixed in the latest AMD drivers, version 26.3.1.
The Steam Client Beta has been updated with the following changes:
Big Picture Mode
Moved Steam chat into the quick access menu, making it easier to access while in-game.
Introduced new quick chat feature for Steam Deck and Big Picture Mode
When in a chat, press and hold the view button to bring up quick chat options.
Move thumbstick and release view button to send a quick chat.
Quick chats can be edited in Settings > Keyboard
Remote Play
Enabled streaming while Remote Desktop is active on Windows
Added more flexible options to the Advanced Host Options for selecting primary display, resolution, refresh rate, etc. while streaming from a Windows computer. This will also allow setting whether HDR is enabled while streaming.
Added support for the SudoVDA virtual display driver on Windows. If you have the SudoVDA driver installed and select this as your primary display in the Advanced Host Options, Steam will automatically create a virtual display to match the client display settings.
Linux SteamRT3 Beta
The Steam for Linux client can now be run inside a Steam Runtime container. This will help the Steam client provide a more consistent experience across multiple distributions. This is the same technology we use for Steam games.
The SteamRT3 beta client is distributed alongside the regular beta client. You can opt-in to the beta client via the 'Use experimental SteamRT3 Steam Client' toggle in Settings->Interface.
The SteamRT3 beta client has been updated to 64 bits.
Please report issues specific to the SteamRT3 beta in the Beta Forums or the steam-for-linux issue tracker.
We have just shipped an updated Steam Deck Client to the Preview/Beta channel.
General
Added a setting to enable 'Switch To Desktop' in the login screen. It can be found in System Settings.
Fixed a case where opting into the 'Preview' channel could silently fail.
Chat
Moved Steam chat into the quick access menu, making it easier to access while in-game.
Introduced new quick chat feature for Steam Deck and Big Picture Mode
When in a chat, press and hold the view button to bring up quick chat options.
Move thumbstick and release view button to send a quick chat.
Quick chats can be edited in Settings > Keyboard
Focus will no longer jump to room effect replay buttons when scrolling through chat history
Fixed a bug that would sometimes prevent chat history from loading when scrolling up
Note: This update is for the Steam Deck Preview channel, and includes new features that are still being tested. You can opt into this in Settings > System > System Update Channel.
Known Issue: Users not currently opted into Preview channel updates may be automatically returned to the Beta channel when attempting to opt-in. This can be worked around by enabling "Advanced Update Channels" in developer settings, and will be fixed in an upcoming Steam Client update.
General
Initial support for upcoming Steam Machine hardware
Updated Arch system base
Updated graphics driver with performance and stability fixes
Fix a case where per-app performance settings would intermittently fail to apply when launching a game
Improved support for the screencasts in Game Mode (e.g. OBS/Discord)
Fixed dropdown menus not appearing in some games
Improved VRR frame pacing
Fixed FSR badge remaining off in the performance overlay, even if it was actually active
Improved support for games that attempt to open PDF files in external viewers
Fixed an issue affecting certain titles (such as "SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide") where the game window could have an incorrect position
Fixed closing certain titles (such as "STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor™") and Starfield resulting in a session crash
Improved support for certain USB racing wheels and USB devices that boot in a non-standard mode
Frequently these are devices that appear as USB storage devices with a driver installer, and must be switched to their normal mode by the OS
Steam Deck controller firmware updates now display update progress on the splash screen
Fixes issue on specific Steam Deck revisions where firmware updates could render the left controller inoperative for that session
Numerous stability and security updates
Bluetooth
Re-re-enable Bluetooth Wake for Steam Deck LCD
Fix for more spurious wake issues that were present in earlier attempts
Audio
Detect HDMI channel count and expose surround configuration if available
Add a setting to allow using Bluetooth headset mics (Bluetooth playback quality will be worse while capture is active)
Restore internal audio device on reboot if set to "Off" in desktop mode
Increase suspend timeout for HDMI devices so initial audio isn't cut off after a few seconds of inactivity
Fixed a bug with switching input devices when a wired headset is plugged in
Fixed an issue where audio underruns could be experienced after sleep/resume
Accessibility
Added an option to force mono audio output
Desktop Mode
KDE Plasma updated to version 6.4.3 from 6.2.5, and now uses wayland by default
Fixes several cases of reduced performance in Desktop Mode compared to Game Mode
Improved support for rotated displays
Better scale factor out of the box on TVs
Adds support for external HDR displays
Adds support for VRR displays
Adds support per-display scale factor
For more information, see Plasma release announcements
Keyboard layout and language are now obeying Game Mode settings
Improved windowing behavior for games running in Proton
System Firmware
Includes Steam Deck LCD BIOS v133
Security updates
Added "Memory Power Down" setup option
Preliminary support for hibernation
Includes Steam Deck OLED BIOS v114
Security updates
Charging LED now changes color when charge limit is reached, rather than only at 100%
Non-Deck
Improved compatibility with recent Intel and AMD platforms
Greatly improved video memory management with discrete GPU platforms
Fixed a compatibility issue with the SteamOS chainloader that could cause a boot failure on some desktop systems with recent UEFI firmware
Power button short and long presses now supported across a wide variety of devices
Improved controller support for OneXPlayer F1 series, GPD Win 5, GPD Win Mini, Anbernic Win600, OrangePi NEO, and Lenovo Legion Go
Added controller support for OneXPlayer X1 series and Lenovo Legion Go 2
Added system and controller firmware update support for the Lenovo Legion Go 2
Added preliminary charge limiting support for Legion Go, Legion Go S, and Legion Go 2 - currently only accessible in Desktop Mode
Added controller RGB LED color settings for the Lenovo Legion Go 2
Added controller, TDP control, and speaker audio support for the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally series
Reduced handheld controller input latency from 5-8ms to 100-500us
Night mode, color vibrance, and color temperature sliders in Steam now work on Z2E and later AMD APUs
Seamless boot fixes for Z2E and later AMD APUs
Automatically handle internally rotated display for some third-party handhelds
Improved motion control support for handhelds with BMI260 IMUs
SD card reliability improvements for some third-party handhelds, including ASUS ROG Xbox Ally, Legion Go 1, Legion Go S, Legion Go 2, and MSI Claw
Fixed washed out colors for Zotac and OneXPlayer handhelds with OLED
Fixed some GPU hangs on Phoenix APU devices (Tales of Arise, Octopath Traveler II)
Fixed ASUS ROG Ally power consumption from fingerprint reader while shut down
Developer
Desktop Mode now uses Wayland by default
X11 support may still be selected via Steam developer settings, or via `steamosctl`
Updated Linux kernel to 6.16
Steam now uses steamos-manager to query available desktop sessions and trigger desktop session switching
Added support for setting the desktop password in developer settings
Initial support for running as a Virtual Machine guest (virtio guest drivers)
Added support for third-party devices to trigger the SteamOS boot menu via EFI variable
Added `custom-update` verb to `atomupd-manager` for easier testing of specific builds
System reports now include more audio debug information
Initial support for LAVD CPU scheduler via `steamosctl set-cpu-scheduler lavd`
No matter what your favorite kind of game may be, this is a great time to shop for deals in the Steam Spring Sale. View the trailer above for a quick glance at the wide range of themes and genres you’ll find; or just stop reading this blog post right now and head straight to the sale itself!
The Steam Spring Sale is our first store-wide seasonal sale of the year, and the discounts are, much like the pollen seeping into our noses this time of year, everywhere. But in a good way!
Join us for the Steam Spring Sale, on now through March 26th at 10 a.m. PT on Steam.
A new Steam client has been released and will be automatically downloaded.
General
Fix a rare crash when downloading games if regional content server ends HTTP/2 connection in an unexpected manner.
Fix intermittent error when opening Big Picture Mode overlay.
Big Picture
Fixed the Universal Facebutton Glyph setting not being applied in the footer.
Windows
Fixed the Xbox Game Bar opening the Steam Overlay unintentionally during gameplay.
Fixed games that enable and utilize WM_POINTER events for mouse input seeing mouse actions through the in-game overlay when it is up (latest Unity engine builds in particular).
Linux
Fixed a case where the client would get stuck in a loading spinner after restarting in Offline Mode.
We have just shipped an updated Steam Deck Client to the Stable channel.
General
Fixed a case where the client would get stuck in a loading spinner after restarting in Offline Mode.
Fix a rare crash when downloading games if regional content server ends HTTP/2 connection in an unexpected manner.
Fix intermittent error when opening overlay.
The Steam Client Beta has been updated with the following changes:
Windows
Fixed the Xbox Game Bar opening the Steam Overlay unintentionally during gameplay.
We have just shipped an updated Steam Deck Client to the Preview/Beta channel.
General
Fixed a case where the client would get stuck in a loading spinner after restarting in Offline Mode.
Fix a rare crash when downloading games if regional content server ends HTTP/2 connection in an unexpected manner.
Fix intermittent error when opening overlay.
The Steam Client Beta has been updated with the following changes:
General
Fix a rare crash when downloading games if regional content server ends HTTP/2 connection in an unexpected manner.
Fix intermittent error when opening Big Picture Mode overlay.
Linux
Fixed a case where the client would get stuck in a loading spinner after restarting in Offline Mode.
The Steam Client Beta has been updated with the following changes:
Windows
Fixed games that enable and utilize WM_POINTER events for mouse input seeing mouse actions through the in-game overlay when it is up (latest Unity engine builds in particular)
Big Picture
Fixed the Universal Facebutton Glyph setting not being applied in the footer
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