New SteamOS Update Brings Performance Improvements And New Steam Machine Firmware

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The next major SteamOS update has just been released with some big changes to make it better to play games on. The Mesa graphics driver has been updated with a good chunk of performance improvements and better performance for ray-tracing. We also have greatly improved VRAM management, which may help in some games that use too much RAM, and we have fixes for Zenless Zone Zero and Final Fantasy 14.

This update also brings in support for the Steam Frame Wireless Adapter, as well as a new controller driver for the Steam Controller to control native controller applications when Steam isn't running. The Steam Machine got a new firmware update with a few fixes, including one where CPU performance would be awful when waking up the Machine from sleep until you reboot, and we also have some new audio options.

There are some fixes implemented for non-Valve devices and support for many more. We have more support for different MSI Claw and OneXPlayer variants, as well as gamepad support for the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, KONKR Fit, and AYANEO Pocket S2. And we also have an update to the Linux kernel, which has updates for security and more.

You can download the update by going to your System Settings on the Steam Deck and checking for an update.

SteamOS 3.8.28 Update Changelog:

General

• Updated Mesa graphics driver to a new major release, containing many ray-tracing performance improvements, as well as other performance and functionality improvements
• Greatly improved VRAM management, improving performance and stability in cases where VRAM is limited
• The Steam Machine splash screen/logo now appears much more quickly after device startup
• Added support for waking up from the Steam Controller Wireless Adapter (2015)
• Improved battery indications when the device is charging in but using more power than the charger can provide
• Preliminary support for the Steam Frame Wireless Adapter
• Added support for Steam Controller (2026) to the built-in hid_steam controller driver, enabling use with native controller applications when Steam is not running
• Fixed 20-30s startup delay in some games on non-Valve devices with no audio sources
• Fixed delayed start time for some games under Proton when no capture device is present
• Fixed an issue causing black screens in certain launchers, including Zenless Zone Zero and FINAL FANTASY XIV Online
• Fixed an issue where hotplugging HDMI displays could cause lockups in Desktop Mode
• Fixed an issue where TVs supporting an HDMI "Game Mode" would display the initial boot logo on startup before engaging said mode, causing unnecessary delay and flashing
• Fixed some cases of slow or stuck Wi-Fi connections with certain adapters
• Fixed an issue causing previous SteamOS updates to fail to apply for some users
• Fixed Firefox in Desktop Mode sometimes freezing when fullscreen
• Worked around an issue where Unreal Engine 5 VR games could display a blank right eye
• Fixed Bluetooth instability with Nintendo Switch Pro (v1) controller
• Fixed Desktop Mode allowing resolutions below 640x480 on certain displays, rendering it unusable
• Fixed a bug where the system would freeze on resume if an SD card was removed while suspended
• Fixed a rare Steam Deck issue where fan speed would revert to BIOS control until a reboot, resulting in higher than normal fan speeds
• Fixed an issue where game performance could be degraded after sleep/resume on systems with AMD discrete GPUs

Steam Machine Firmware 108

• Fixed an issue where the system could occasionally wake up immediately after going to sleep
• Fixed a rare issue where CPU performance could be degraded until reboot after waking up from sleep

Audio

• Add option to reset all audio configuration and settings to system defaults under Settings -> Audio
• Fix for HDMI audio dropouts with some game and TV combinations
• Improve reliability of HDMI hotplug detection
• Add option to prefer lower latency audio codecs for Bluetooth devices

Non-Valve Devices

• Improve support for MSI Claw and OneXPlayer device variants
• Improve support for devices with external or no Wi-Fi adapters
• Fixed an infrequent bug where some 3rd party handhelds would have input ignored when held
• Added initial gamepad support for MSI Claw 8 EX AI+
• Added initial gamepad support for Konkr FIT
• Added initial gamepad support for AYANEO Pocket S2
• Updated gamepad support for OneXPlayer Apex with new firmware
• Added controller support for missing OneXPlayer F1 and OneXPlayer 2 special edition models
• Fixed a regression with some MSI Claw devices on newer firmware losing access the Guide and Quick Access Menu buttons
• Fixed a regression with Legion Go 1 models on older controller firmware where gyroscope would fail to initialize
• Fixed a regression on OneXPlayer F1 models where rumble was being blocked and the joystick poll rate was low. As a consequence, the M1 (left) extra shoulder button is no longer able to function.
• Fixed issues with battery display on Lenovo Legion Go models
• Fixed a bug where the MSI Claw would freeze on resume if an SD card was present during suspend and resume

Developer

• Updated the Linux kernel to 6.18.50

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