Steam Deck receives new features via update, including remote downloads

On Tuesday, April 28, Valve released a new update for the Steam Deck, which introduces a number of new features. The update is already available in the stable update channel and can be downloaded and installed right now. Above all, the patch introduces support for remote downloads.

This makes it possible to start, pause and monitor the progress of a game download to the Steam Deck from the Steam app on a Windows PC or Mac. Steam Chat is now available in the quick menu, making it easier to access while a game is running. Another new feature is the ability to save replies in advance and quickly select and send them. A new system setting allows the Linux desktop to be launched directly from the login screen, so that the desktop mode can be accessed more quickly - handy if non-steam apps are to be installed frequently.

The Steam Deck now shows the battery status of wireless gamepads. Valve has improved compatibility with Wi-Fi networks that require additional authentication. The patch also fixes numerous minor bugs, such as poor system performance when many unread notifications are displayed, as well as a bug that could cause a cloud savegame to be deleted if a game is uninstalled and re-downloaded without restarting Steam in between. More details about the patch can be found at on Steam.