Valve just pushed out a new SteamOS Beta update that fixes something amazing. With a focus on docked mode, they improved frame pacing when FSR is enabled, foxed SD card format operation failing, improved touch detection speeds, and, my personal favorite, added an external display output resolution and refresh rate selection UI:

  • Added external display output resolution and refresh rate selection UI in Display Settings (requires Steam Client Beta)
  • Automatically avoid problematic resolutions like 4096x2160 or 30Hz modes on external displays
  • Improved frame pacing when compositing (such as when FSR is enabled)
  • Improved touch / de-touch detection speeds
  • Fixed in-game camera control issues when using a physical mouse
  • Fixed aspect ratio and resolution not properly switching in the Steam UI after reconnecting an external monitor
  • Fixed a scenario where an SD Card format operation could fail
  • Fixed an issue where frames could drop on external displays at lower refresh rates
  • Fixed an issue where small touches would be ignored on edges of some trackpads
  • Fixed unsolicited random haptic events
  • Fixed boot tone volume to be equalized across models
  • Modified USB descriptors to support controller navigation in EFI menu at boot

You can view the changelog and discuss this update over on Steam.

For anyone who uses an external display, like I do, this will be a HUGE help. The Deck has been known to auto detect and go right into upscaled 4K resolutions with no seeming way to change it, so adding this option is SUPER helpful. The improved frame pacing will also be a huge help for any of our games we recommend using FFSR on, but I absolutely love the external display selection UI.

Noah Kupetsky
A lover of gaming since 4, Noah has grown up with a love and passion for the industry. From there, he started to travel a lot and develop a joy for handheld and PC gaming. When the Steam Deck released, it just all clicked.
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