Steam Deck: New firmware promises a number of bug fixes and better performance

Valve is the manufacturer responsible for the Steam Deck and, as expected, also offers corresponding software support. In fact, the company is currently very active, frequently releasing new SteamOS versions. Like many other providers, Valve also uses the opportunity to turn users into voluntary beta testers, allowing for better quality updates with the help of feedback from users who are willing to accept minor bugs.

Valve is now offering SteamOS in a new preview version that bears the model number 3.5.8 and promises numerous improvements. According to Valve, a bug that made an inserted memory card unusable in certain cases has been fixed. Another bug that caused every file in the folder to be linked when a folder was moved to the desktop has been remedied.

Furthermore, the display of the GPU clock speed in the performance overlay has been modified and now displays the actual value and not the average value. When using Steam In-Home Streaming, certain problems with color rendering should no longer occur, and a rare bug that caused the Steam Deck to crash when exiting a game has also been fixed. Problems with certain HDR game titles are now a thing of the past. The display of frame timings in the performance overlay should no longer be misleading when using a frame limiter or VSync. Lastly, a cause of stuttering in certain games that buffer several frames in advance is said to have been removed.

The preview update is only available to SteamOS users who have agreed to receive beta updates. However, the new operating system version will eventually find its way onto all Steam Deck systems with Steck OS.

Alternative to the Steam Deck: Purchase the Asus ROG Ally at Best Buy.