Note: This update is for the Steam Deck Beta and Preview channels, 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 new changes since the previous 3.8.8 Beta noted below
New in 3.8.9
- Fixed a 3.8 regression where "Allow Tearing" could result in graphical artifacts beyond the expected tear line
- Improved dynamic detection of HDMI audio channel count on hotplug
- Even more stability and security updates
- Fixed a case where WiFi performance could become degraded until the device was put to sleep or manually reconnected
- Fixed excessive trackpad sensitivity on certain early Steam Deck LCD models
- Fixed a bug on Steam Deck OLED where rebooting would occasionally cause a loss of speaker output until rebooted again
- Initial support for upcoming Steam Machine hardware
- Added support for waking from sleep via connected Steam Controller
- Added preliminary support for HDMI VRR for devices with native HDMI output
- Updated Arch system base
- Updated graphics driver with performance and stability fixes
- Fixed an issue where "Allow Tearing" wouldn't have the intended effect in certain configurations
- Fixed a case where per-app performance settings would intermittently fail to apply when launching a game
- Substantially improved speed of future OS updates on high-speed connections
- 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 where video output could become frozen while using Remote Play
- Fixed a possible session crash when using Game Recording with certain "Maximum video height" settings
- Added missing graphics features needed for titles such as "Crimson Desert"
- 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
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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
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Fixes issue on specific Steam Deck revisions where firmware updates could render the left controller inoperative for that session
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Fixes for experimental nested desktop mode
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Numerous stability and security updates
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Fixed an issue on certain TCL TVs where the display may remain blank using the Steam Deck Dock when VRR is enabled (requires a Dock firmware update)
Bluetooth
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Re-re-enable Bluetooth Wake for Steam Deck LCD
Fix for more spurious wake issues that were present in earlier attempts
- 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
- Added an option to force mono audio output
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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
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For more information, see Plasma release announcements
https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/6/6.3.0/ - https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/6/6.4.0/
Keyboard layout and language are now obeying Game Mode settings
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Improved windowing behavior for games running in Proton
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Fixed a bug in Desktop Mode causing previously open applications to not be remembered when using the 'Return to Gaming Mode' shortcut to logout
System Firmware
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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%
- Improved compatibility with recent Intel and AMD platforms
- Greatly improved video memory management on 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
- Fixed trackpad losing functionality after sleep/resume on the Legion Go
- Fixed spurious wake-ups when using a Logitech Bolt receiver
- Add controller support for MSI Claw devices (A1M, 7 AI+ A2VM, 8 AI+ A2VM, A8 BZ2EM)
- Add controller support for OneXPlayer APEX and X1 series.
- Improved gyro response for devices that use AccelGyro3D (Legion Go 1, Claw A1M)
- Fixed a system crash on international Asus ROG Xbox Ally models
- Fix Bluetooth not working on some Intel handhelds
- Add initial firmware for upcoming Intel handhelds
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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
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Steam now uses steamos-manager to query available desktop sessions and trigger desktop session switching
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Added support for setting the desktop password in developer settings
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Initial support for running as a Virtual Machine guest (virtio guest drivers)
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Added support for third-party devices to trigger the SteamOS boot menu via EFI variable
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Added `custom-update` verb to `atomupd-manager` for easier testing of specific builds
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System reports now include more audio debug information
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Initial support for LAVD CPU scheduler via `steamosctl set-cpu-scheduler lavd`
Source: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app ... 9212297807