SteamOS 3.8.10 is now available for all users on Steam. This major update brings KDE Plasma 6.4.3, the Linux kernel 6.16, initial support for upcoming Steam Machine hardware, and a wide range of improvements for handhelds and Steam Deck.

Highlights include: Desktop Mode now defaults to Wayland, handheld controller input latency reduced from 5-8 ms to 100-500 µs, preliminary HDMI VRR support, and new device support for Lenovo Legion Go 2, ASUS ROG Xbox Ally, MSI Claw series, and OneXPlayer devices.

SteamOS 3.8.10 has just been released for all users with the following changes:

These notes contain all changes since the previous SteamOS 3.7 stable release.

General

• Updated Arch system base
• Initial support for upcoming Steam Machine hardware
• Added support for waking from sleep via connected Steam Controller
• Substantially improved speed of future OS updates on high-speed connections
• Improved support for screen casting in Game Mode (e.g. OBS/Discord)
• Fixed dropdown menus not appearing in some games
• Fixed excessive trackpad sensitivity on certain early Steam Deck LCD models
• Improved support for games that attempt to open PDF files in external viewers
• Fixed an issue where video output could become frozen while using Remote Play
• Fixed a possible session crash when using Game Recording with certain “Maximum video height” settings
• Fixed closing certain titles (such as “STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor™” and Starfield) resulting in a session crash
• Steam Deck controller firmware updates now display update progress on the splash screen
• Numerous stability and security updates

Display / Performance

• Updated graphics driver with performance and stability fixes
• Added preliminary support for HDMI VRR for devices with native HDMI output
• Fixed an issue where “Allow Tearing” wouldn’t have the intended effect in certain configurations
• Improved VRR frame pacing
• Fixed FSR badge remaining off in the performance overlay, even if it was actually active
• Added missing graphics features needed for titles such as “Crimson Desert”

Bluetooth / WiFi

• Fixed a case where WiFi performance could become degraded until the device was put to sleep or manually reconnected
• Re-re-enable Bluetooth Wake for Steam Deck LCD

Audio

• Detect HDMI channel count and expose surround configuration if available
• Add a setting to allow using Bluetooth headset mics (Bluetooth playback quality will be worse while capture is active)
• Restore internal audio device on reboot if set to “Off” in desktop mode
• Fixed a bug with switching input devices when a wired headset is plugged in
• Fixed an issue where audio underruns could be experienced after sleep/resume

Accessibility

• Added an option to force mono audio output

Desktop Mode

• KDE Plasma updated to version 6.4.3 from 6.2.5, and now uses Wayland by default
• Fixes several cases of reduced performance in Desktop Mode compared to Game Mode
• Improved support for rotated displays
• Better scale factor out of the box on TVs
• Adds support for external HDR displays
• Adds support for VRR displays
• Adds support per-display scale factor
• Keyboard layout and language are now obeying Game Mode settings
• Improved windowing behavior for games running in Proton
• Fixed Desktop Mode night color settings inappropriately remaining active when switching back to Game Mode

System Firmware

• Includes Steam Deck LCD BIOS v133: Security updates, Preliminary support for hibernation
• Includes Steam Deck OLED BIOS v114: Security updates, Charging LED now changes color when charge limit is reached

Non-Deck

• Improved compatibility with recent Intel and AMD platforms
• Greatly improved video memory management on discrete GPU platforms
• Power button short and long presses now supported across a wide variety of devices
• Improved controller support for OneXPlayer F1 series, GPD Win 5, GPD Win Mini, Anbernic Win600, OrangePi NEO, and Lenovo Legion Go
• Added controller support for OneXPlayer X1 series and Lenovo Legion Go 2
• Added system and controller firmware update support for the Lenovo Legion Go 2
• Added preliminary charge limiting support for Legion Go, Legion Go S, and Legion Go 2
• Added controller, TDP control, and speaker audio support for the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally series
• Reduced handheld controller input latency from 5-8ms to 100-500us
• Night mode, color vibrance, and color temperature sliders in Steam now work on Z2E and later AMD APUs
• SD card reliability improvements for some third-party handhelds
• Add controller support for MSI Claw devices (A1M, 7 AI+ A2VM, 8 AI+ A2VM, A8 BZ2EM)
• Add controller support for OneXPlayer APEX and X1 series

Developer

• Desktop Mode now uses Wayland by default
• Updated Linux kernel to 6.16
• Initial support for running as a Virtual Machine guest (virtio guest drivers)
• Initial support for LAVD CPU scheduler via steamosctl set-cpu-scheduler lavd

Source: Steam