Valve’s huge SteamOS 3.8 update adds long-awaited features — and supports Steam Machine
Not only is it the first release to support the upcoming Steam Machine gaming PC, but it also comes loaded with highly anticipated features for Valve’s handhelds. And more support for other companies’ handhelds than we’ve seen so far – including the Xbox Ally series from Microsoft and Asus, the Lenovo Legion Go 2, the OneXPlayer X1, and additional support for MSI, GPD, Anbernic, OrangePi, and Zotac.
The one I’m most excited about: Valve is adding true hibernation and “memory power off” modes to the Steam Deck – but just the LCD model to boot – which should help extend battery life when you press the power button or leave it idle. Some Windows machines currently last longer than the Steam Deck when asleep because they automatically hibernate to save power, while the Steam Deck has an instant sleep mode.
Additionally, Valve has finally added a setting in its game mode to let you use your Bluetooth headset’s microphones – something I’ve been asking for all along. (Valve added it to Linux Desktop Mode last year.) And the Steam Deck’s LCD screen is finally reactivated by Bluetooth Wake, so you can turn on your TV-connected Deck with a wireless controller from your couch.
The update comes with all kinds improvements to Linux desktop modes that also appear to be useful on a Steam machine plugged into a TV or monitor, including desktop HDR, VRR display support, per-screen scaling, “improved windowing behavior for games running in Proton” and an upgrade to KDE Plasma 6.4.3, among others.
And for a Steam Machine or Steam Handheld plugged into a home entertainment system, they can now detect how many audio channels you have via HDMI to enable surround sound.
There is also a new Arch system base and an updated graphics driver.
Perhaps most surprising is that the “Non-Deck” section of the changelog is huge. Valve says a long press of your power button should work “on a wide variety of devices” to shut down, restart, or enter desktop mode. You should now be able to change your CPU power modes on the Xbox Ally, and the Night Mode and Screen Color settings should work on AMD Z2 Extreme handhelds in general.
There’s also “significantly improved video memory management with discrete GPU platforms”, you can limit battery charge time in any of the Lenovo Legion Go handhelds (in desktop mode), and this should fix “washed out colors for Zotac and OneXPlayer handhelds with OLED”.
There’s a lot going on in this update, and it’s possible I missed a feature you’re interested in, so check out the full changelog here.
