Valve proudly presents SteamOS 3.6.0 Preview, a sneak peek of the upcoming update designed to enhance the gaming experience on Steam Deck. This update introduces a series of targeted improvements focused on optimizing performance, reliability, and customization of the gaming platform. With attention to detail and a constant commitment to excellence, Valve has worked to bring a range of new features, aimed at meeting the needs of gaming enthusiasts.

Among the highlights of SteamOS 3.6.0 Preview are enhancements in connectivity and reliability, with simplified pairing with Apple AirPods and improved stability in Wi-Fi connections with access points supporting WPA3 security. Additionally, there have been visual and performance improvements, with optimization of screen uniformity and color balance, and an update to the graphics driver to Mesa 24.1 for significant performance enhancements and error correction.

To meet the customization needs of users, SteamOS 3.6.0 Preview also includes new features such as HDMI CEC support for greater TV control and overclocking controls for customizing device performance. Furthermore, file configuration management has been improved to offer greater flexibility and ease of customization of the system.

Overall, SteamOS 3.6.0 Preview brings a range of enhancements aimed at optimizing the gaming experience on Steam Deck, offering users a more stable, performant, and customizable gaming environment.



 
 

General

  • Updated to a more recent Arch Linux base

  • Improved pairing experience with Apple AirPods

  • Improved session recovery speed after GPU crashes

  • Fixed some connectivity failures with access points supporting WPA3 security

  • Updated Linux kernel to version 6.5

  • Improved speed of subsequent OS updates

  • Improved reliability of certain microSD card usage scenarios

  • Fixed game session cursor offset alignment

  • Worked around misdetection of some SanDisk microSD cards

  • Fixed an issue where a thin grey line could appear at the bottom of the screen during boot in some situations

  • Fixed an issue causing temporary files to accrue when using Flatpak

  • Enabled support for Bluetooth A2DP and BAP profiles

  • Improved connection speed of some Bluetooth devices

  • Improved performance and stability in memory pressure situations

  • Fixed an issue where the Performance Overlay would spuriously enable itself under certain conditions

  • Added mechanism to configure which Bluetooth device categories are allowed to wake the system from suspend

    • By default, controllers are the only devices that can wake the system from sleep

    • Finer-grained UI configuration options will be available as part of a future update


Display

  • Improved display uniformity, under some conditions (Mura Compensation)

  • Improved display color balance (reduced green tint) at lower brightness levels, under some conditions

  • Improved gamma uniformity (yellow tint), under some conditions


Graphics and Performance

  • Updated graphics driver to Mesa 24.1, with significant performance improvements and bug fixes for a smoother and more responsive gaming experience.

  • Increased responsiveness of the Steam UI, for smoother and more intuitive navigation within the platform.


Desktop Mode

  • Updated to KDE Plasma 5.27.10

  • Enabled thumbnail previews for videos in the file browser

  • Fixed an issue with desktop use that could cause subsequent microSD card auto-mount to fail


Deck Dock

  • Added support for some HDMI CEC features:

    • TV remote input

    • TV wake up

    • TV input switching

  • Updated Dock firmware, with compatibility fixes for high-refresh-rate VRR displays


BIOS

  • Added overclocking controls on Steam Deck LCD

  • Fixed not being able to set the SDCard as default boot device

  • Adjusted power LED slow charging threshold

  • Fixed spurious power LED blinking in S5


Development and Modding

  • IModified files in /etc are now migrated to new OS versions based on a whitelist

    • Fixes numerous issues with incidentally touched /etc files becoming 'sticky' and persisting unexpectedly

    • Additional whitelist entries can be added via config fragments

      • See /etc/atomic-update.conf.d/example-additional-keep-list.conf

    • Added /etc/previous/ containing modifications from the previous update to prevent unexpected data loss

      • Up to five previous snaphots of /etc modifications will additionally be retained in /var/lib/steamos-atomupd/etc_backup/

  • Added support for {ssh,sshd}_config fragments

 

Known Issues

  • Frequent session switches can result in the sound driver crashing, needing a system reboot

 
 

Reference:

#steamos, #steamdeck, #steamdock, #valve, #updates, #hdmicec, #biosupgrade, #archlinux

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