Valve has released a fresh update for the Steam Deck handheld gaming console, known as SteamOS 3.5.1, specifically designed for devices enrolled in its Preview channel. It’s important to keep in mind that beta software, including this update, may still have some issues that need to be resolved. Nevertheless, this update brings a variety of intriguing changes and fixes, which can be reviewed below.

One standout feature of this update is the introduction of undervolting controls. This means that the APU (Accelerated Processing Unit) can receive less voltage than its default specification, potentially reducing heat generation. For those who like to tinker, undervolting can enhance system stability, improve battery life, and potentially prevent performance throttling.

It’s worth noting that the effectiveness of undervolting can vary due to manufacturing variations. This happens because no two CPUs, or APUs in this case, are exactly the same, even if they are the same model. This is because the manufacturing process is not perfect. As a result, some CPUs may be able to handle lower voltages than others without becoming unstable.

The update addresses several issues and introduces various improvements, particularly related to external displays. Previously, HDR output wasn’t possible in 32-bit applications, but this has been resolved. An annoying bug that kept the internal display backlight on constantly has also been fixed. For users who utilize the desktop mode, problems like erroneous color displays during transitions to the Plasma Desktop have been addressed.

Additionally, the update resolves issues with memory cards that had problems with faulty file systems, offering a more seamless experience to Steam Deck users.

In related news, a new Steam Deck might be coming sooner than expected. Previously, Valve stated that it has no plans to release Stream Deck 2 before 2025, however, a recent certification has revealed a refreshed version under development with a better WiFi modem, better battery life, and more.

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Valve has unleashed a new update for the Steam Deck handheld console labeled the Steam Deck OS 3.5 exclusively for devices enrolled in its Preview channel. What that means is that the update is not yet ready for a broader rollout. However, there are a bunch of interesting changes and fixes coming with this update which you can check out below.

Steam Deck OS 3.5 update chengelog

Display

• Added Settings -> Adjust Display Colors, to tune the display’s Color Vibrancy and Color Temperature. The settings can be tuned with a preview of a test image (above), or with your running game.
  • Native: The native display color appearance (the color rendering for Steam Deck prior to this update).
  • sRGB: Emulate the sRGB primaries, in a smooth manner that does not introduce gradient clipping.
  • Boosted: Emulate a wider-gamut display appearance, resulting in increased apparent vibrance. May result in gradient clipping.
• HDR can now be enabled in Display Settings if supported by the external display.
• VRR can now be enabled in Display Settings if supported by the USB-C adapter.
• Reworked Quick-Access scaling settings to separate scaling from filtering. Added Stretch and Zoom scaling as new options to handle different aspect ratios.
• Fixed touchscreen orientation while external display is connected.
• Compositing is now avoided in additional scenarios, reducing latency and stutter in situation with multiple overlays on screen.
• Improved latency in certain situations where the application renders slower than the display’s refresh rate.

General

• Fixed an issue where certain workloads would exhibit severe CPU performance issues unless SMT was manually disabled.
• External storage devices are now auto-mounted when connected to Steam Deck. To format or manage storage devices use the new device management interface in Settings->Storage.
• Updated graphics drivers, with many performance and functionality improvements. Improved performance for Starfield. Fixed viewmodel corruption in Amnesia: The Bunker and launch failures for Immortals of Aveum and Kaiju-A-GoGo.
• Improved Bluetooth connection stability, especially with multiple controllers
• Slightly improved sleep resume speed
• Implemented switching between controller bindings and mouse/keyboard desktop bindings by long-pressing Options in the Linux hid-steam driver, to match Steam’s default Desktop configuration.
• Improved fade transitions between applications.
• The contents of the performance overlay can now be customized by creating a ~/.config/MangoHud/presets.conf configuration file.
• Fixed a bug where some games could appear stretched if their window size didn’t match their swapchain size (eg. Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 4)
• Fixed Disgaea PC needing to be tapped on before input works
• Fixed physical dimensions reported to games, fixing some issues with an incorrect aspect ratio sometimes being detected (eg. Returnal)
• Worked around a problem where Allow Tearing could cause heavy stuttering if the Performance Overlay or other overlays appeared on screen. Tearing is now impossible in such situations, and the Performance Overlay should be disabled for best results.
• Fixed a problem where keyboard input would not be detected in Overwatch 2
• Controller firmware: fixed an issue where some thumbstick touch sensors would lose touch periodically

Firmware 116

• Added voltage offset settings.
• Improved robustness of the Firmware Settings Reset chord (Volume Down + Quick-Access + Power) against some boot hang scenarios.
• Fixed a rare issue that would set the processor TDP limit too low causing CPU and GPU frequencies to be stuck at 400 MHz and 200 MHz respectively.
• Fixed an issue when the charging light would turn back on when plugged in for a while after fully charged.

Updated Arch Linux base

• This update pulls in newer performance, security and stability fixes for the underlying packages that are the foundation for SteamOS
• Most notably, this includes recent changes to KDE Plasma, Steam Deck’s Desktop Mode. Full notes on these updates can be found on KDE’s website here. Here are a few of the highlights:
  • New window tiling system
  • Updated Discover (app store / software manager) with a new homepage and improved search
  • Discover can now perform system updates from the desktop
  • Updated desktop widgets

To access Steam Deck OS 3.5, users can opt-in by navigating to Settings on their Steam Deck, followed by System, and then System Update Channel. However, it’s essential to note that Valve hasn’t specified when this update will be available as a stable release, so it’s currently in a testing phase.

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