Valve has rolled out a new SteamOS update following its beta testing phase, introducing initial support for the forthcoming Steam Machine. This update represents a step toward the new hardware's release, which is anticipated this summer.
The patch incorporates several improvements that benefit current Steam Deck owners while also laying groundwork for the Steam Machine. Notably, the update enables "substantially improved speed of future OS updates on high-speed connections." For users with racing setups, there is "improved support for certain USB racing wheels and USB devices that boot in a non-standard mode."
A significant change, facilitated by a switch in Linux display server protocols, includes added support for external HDR and VRR displays. The update also enhances desktop mode scaling on televisions and addresses performance discrepancies between Desktop Mode and Game Mode. Furthermore, Valve has optimized the performance and stability of the SteamOS graphics driver and introduced the ability to wake the system from sleep using a connected Steam Controller.
For Steam Deck hardware, both LCD and OLED models receive new BIOS updates. The LCD version gains preliminary support for hibernation, while the OLED model's charging indicator now turns green when a user-defined charge limit is reached, rather than exclusively at 100%.
Beyond Steam hardware specifics, the SteamOS update improves compatibility with recent Intel and AMD platforms and significantly enhances video memory management on discrete GPU configurations. Full patch notes are available on Steam, and users are encouraged to report any issues they encounter post-update.