New SteamOS Beta Update Improves Metaphor: ReFantazio on Steam Deck

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A new SteamOS beta update was released earlier today, and for those playing Metaphor, you may be a bit excited about this one! The new update contains three fixes specifically, with two of them being for an updater issue that could end up reverting your OS if you changed configuration files manually and if you take multiple screenshots while game recording.

The third part of the update is an improvement to Metaphor: ReFantazio’s performance on the Steam Deck! The changelog mentions that they have improved performance in the game by up to 20%, which is phenomenal. It feels very similar to how Persona 3 Reload got some improvements from Valve via SteamOS and Proton.

With the performance improvements, I decided to test the game out to see if it really has been improved, and while it definitely has, it isn’t enough to change the experience much. The higher performing areas that can hit the high 50s - 60 when running around haven’t changed much. However, the harder hitting areas that were dropping to 26-27 FPS have seen a boost. This has gone up to 29 - 37 FPS depending on the spot, which marks a 2-4 FPS upgrade. It may not sound like a lot, but it’s a welcome change that can get us to a solid 30 FPS across the board with our recommended settings.

You can download the update yourself in the System Settings on the Steam Deck. Make sure your update channel is set to Beta or Preview.

SteamOS Beta 3.6.20 Update Changelog:

General

• Fixed an issue where the updater could repeatedly revert you to the previous OS version if certain configuration files were user-modified
• Fixed an issue with taking multiple screenshots if Game Recording is on
• Improved performance in Metaphor: ReFantazio by up to 20%

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