Credit: steamdeck.com
Valve has released the SteamOS 3.8.0 Preview update, which includes major changes to the Arch Linux-based operating system used in the Steam Deck and Lenovo Legion Go S.
With the release of SteamOS 3.8, Valve’s Steam Deck gained a full hibernation mode and “power reduction at the expense of memory,” although this currently only applies to the LCD version. Some Windows-based portable consoles last longer in sleep mode than the Steam Deck because they hibernate to save power, while Valve’s Steam Deck offers an instant-on mode. Game Mode now includes a setting that allows you to use the microphone on a Bluetooth headset, and the LCD version of the Steam Deck now features Bluetooth wake-up—you can turn on the device while connected to a TV using a wireless controller. Support has been improved for the Asus Xbox Ally, Lenovo Legion Go 2, and OneXPlayer X1 consoles, as well as devices from MSI, GPD, Anbernic, OrangePi, and Zotac.
The update includes numerous improvements to desktop modes in Linux—this will likely be useful for the upcoming Steam Machine gaming PC, which is marketed as a console. HDR and VRR are supported, along with per-display scaling features, “improved windowed mode behavior for games running in Proton,” and the desktop environment has been updated to KDE Plasma 6.4.3. Steam Machine and Steam Deck now support the ability to specify the number of audio channels when transmitting audio over HDMI. The graphics driver and Arch system database have been updated. Valve notes that the long-press power button feature should be supported on various devices—it allows you to shut down or reboot the device, as well as put it into desktop mode. On the Asus Xbox Ally, you can change processor power modes; night mode and display color settings should be supported on all portable consoles with the AMD Z2 Extreme chip.
Valve reported a known issue: users not connected to the Preview Channel may be automatically redirected to the Beta Channel when attempting to connect. A temporary workaround is to enable Advanced Update Channels in the developer settings. A full fix is expected in a future Steam client update.