Valve has announced the release of SteamOS 3.8.10, which includes a variety of updates. These range from early support for upcoming Steam Machine hardware and enhancements for third-party handhelds, to HDMI VRR support for devices with native HDMI output, and the integration of KDE Plasma 6.4.3 into desktop mode. The update is now available for all SteamOS users.
This release comes ahead of the scheduled launch of the Steam Machine on June 30 and represents Valve’s ongoing efforts to expand SteamOS beyond Steam Deck hardware.
General improvements, performance and performance
The recent update includes several improvements. It updates the base system of Arch Linux. Support for upcoming Steam Machine hardware has been added.
Users can now wake their devices from sleep mode using a connected Steam controller. The speed of future operating system updates is greatly improved over high-speed Internet connections.
Screen casting in game mode has been improved for tools like OBS and Discord. There was an issue with the dropdown menu not appearing in some games, which has now been fixed.
There was also an issue with excessive trackpad sensitivity on some early Steam Deck LCD models that has been addressed. Support for opening PDF files in external viewers has been enhanced for better compatibility with the game. Fixed an issue where video output would freeze during Remote Play.
Additionally, several game-specific issues were resolved, including fixes for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Starfield, and SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide.
Display-related updates include updates to the graphics driver, which now offers improved performance and stability. Support for HDMI VRR has been added on devices with native HDMI output, along with improvements to VRR frame pacing.
A fix for the FSR badge being turned off in the display overlay when activated has been implemented. Additional graphics features needed for Crimson Desert are now available.
Finally, a fix was made for a TCL TV issue where the display could remain blank when using the Steam Deck dock with VRR enabled, requiring a dock firmware update.
Audio, Bluetooth, and desktop mode changes
Audio improvements include several updates. The system now automatically detects the HDMI channel count and displays the surround sound configuration when available.
A new setting allows users to enable the microphone on Bluetooth headsets, although this may reduce playback quality during active capture.
Suspend timeout for HDMI devices has been increased to prevent audio cutoff in the initial seconds after restart. The internal audio device is now restored on reboot if it was previously set to Off in desktop mode. issues with
WiFi performance degradation that caused sleep or required manual reconnection has been fixed. Additionally, support for activating devices via Bluetooth has been re-enabled on the Steam Deck LCD.
Desktop mode brings several important changes:
- KDE Plasma has been upgraded from version 6.2.5 to 6.4.3, and it is now the default on Wayland.
- The update addresses performance issues that existed in desktop mode compared to game mode.
- Support for rotated displays has been improved along with better scaling options for TVs.
- External HDR displays and VRR displays are now supported, as well as per-display scale factors.
- Keyboard layout and language settings now follow Game Mode configuration.
- Additionally, windowing behavior has been enhanced for Proton games.
Third-party handheld and Steam deck firmware fixes
SteamOS 3.8.10 expands support for hardware beyond Steam Deck, including improved compatibility with recent Intel and AMD platforms.
It also introduces significant improvements to video memory management on discrete GPU systems and fixes issues that could cause boot failure on some desktop systems with recent UEFI firmware.
Specific device updates include advanced controller support for devices such as:
- OneXPlayer F1 series, GPD Win 5, GPD Win Mini, Anbernic Win600, OrangePi NEO, and Lenovo Legion Go.
- Support for the OneXPlayer X1 series and Lenovo Legion Go 2 controllers has been added, as well as system and controller firmware update options for the Legion Go 2.
- Initial support for charge limiting is now available for the Legion Go, Legion Go S, and Legion Go 2, although the feature is currently limited to desktop mode.
- Additionally, the Lenovo Legion Go 2 now features adjustable controller RGB LED color.
- Support for controllers and features such as TDP control and speaker audio has been extended for the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally series.
- Handheld controller input latency has been reduced from 5–8 milliseconds to between 100 and 500 microseconds.
- New support has been added for MSI Claw devices, including the A1M, 7 AI+ A2VM, 8 AI+ A2VM, and A8 BZ2EM models. Also included are firmware updates for upcoming Intel handheld devices.
- Several device-specific issues have been addressed, including washed out colors on Zotac and OnePlus OLED handhelds, GPU hanging on Phoenix APU devices, power consumption from the fingerprint reader on the ASUS ROG Alley during shutdown, and trackpad failures after sleep mode on the Legion Go.
- Regarding the Steam Deck firmware update, the LCD now runs BIOS version 133, which introduces a memory power down setting, initial hibernation support, and security updates.
- The Steam Deck OLED has received BIOS version 114, which changes the behavior of the charging LED to indicate charge limit instead of just full charge and also includes security improvements.
How to make developer changes and updates
Desktop mode is now the default for Wayland, with X11 still accessible via Steam developer settings or steamosctl. Other updates targeted at developers include an upgraded Linux kernel in version 6.16.
Steam now uses steamos-manager to check desktop sessions and manage switchovers. It is now possible to set a desktop password in Developer Settings.
SteamOS has initial support for running as a virtual machine guest using the Virtio guest drivers. Additionally, third-party devices can trigger the SteamOS boot menu via EFI variables. There is also initial support for the LAVD CPU scheduler.
SteamOS 3.8.10 is now available for all users. Owners of Steam Deck and supported devices can update through Steam by going to Settings and then System.
Those running SteamOS on third-party PCs or handhelds with the experimental installer should follow the same procedure.
For first-time SteamOS installation on a PC, Valve continues to recommend AMD-based systems paired with a dedicated NVMe SSD to run SteamOS. Nvidia GPUs are not officially supported; For those configurations, Buzite or Nobara are suggested as alternatives.
The update comes ahead of the launch of Steam Machines on June 30 and supports Valve’s broader effort to extend SteamOS compatibility to more third-party hardware.
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