Valve has now officially released SteamOS 3.6 for Steam Deck to the stable channel, bringing with it lots of big improvements all across the system. It's been in testing since May, so this one really did take a while to get it right.
Officially it's SteamOS 3.6.19, the same as the last Beta release. There's so many improvements like a big update to the graphics driver with improved performance across lots of games, improved reliability of microSD cards, a Linux kernel update, Mura Compensation, Bluetooth improvements, KDE Plasma 5.27.10 Desktop Mode update, support for some HDMI CEC features in the Docking Station and much more.
The full changelog is below:
General
- Updated to a more recent Arch Linux base, and updated Linux kernel to version 6.5
- These updates improve hardware compatibility, system performance, security, and overall system stability
- Improved speed of subsequent OS updates
- Improved reliability of certain microSD card usage scenarios
- Worked around misdetection of some SanDisk microSD cards
- Improved responsiveness of session restart in case of session crashes caused by certain GPU errors
- Fixed an issue where certain games could crash with a 'page allocation failure' after a long play session
- Improved recovery from situations where the Steam installation could get corrupted
- Fixed some connectivity failures with access points supporting WPA3 security
- Fixed a problem where Steam Deck would be unable to connect to certain Wi-Fi 7 access points
- Fixed game session cursor offset alignment
- Fixed an issue where a thin grey line could appear at the bottom of the screen during boot in some situations
- Fixed an issue where the Performance Overlay would spuriously enable itself under certain conditions
- Fixed an issue preventing sleep on some types of aftermarket SSDs
- Fixed an issue preventing update checks from working properly on networks with an invalid IPv6 configuration
- Fixed an issue where touching the left trackpad after sleep could result in a spurious haptic click
- Fixed a general issue affecting OLED units on 3.5, causing a slow memory leak during gameplay
- Fixed an issue causing a "Update Error" message when attempting to interact with the update menu on the 'Preview' update channel.
- Fixed the frame limiter not properly applying in certain situations
- Fixed an issue where block corruption could appear on screen on certain state transitions
- Fixed an issue where updating the built-in controller firmware could result in a blank screen during boot
- Fixed a rare issue where sound output could be corrupted on certain boots
- Fixed a rare issue where 3.5mm headphones could produce elevated background noise on reconnection until next sleep/resume
- Fixed an issue where updates would sometimes be applied incorrectly if the unit was powered off abruptly near the end of an OS update
- Fixed an issue with copy-pasting UTF-8 text across applications
- Fixed a problem where a Game Recording capture failing could cause subsequent captures to also fail
- Fixed a crash when using the magnifier tool while game recording is active
- Fixed colorspace for Game Recording
- Fixed an issue where colors could appear washed out when using Steam Remote Play as a client
- Fixed a possible crash when using Steam Deck as the Remote Play host
- Fixed an issue that could cause videos to stutter in titles such as BlazBlue Centralfiction
- Fixed an issue with a rare session crash during early startup of ELDEN RING
- Fixed display regressions with certain titles such as Warriors All-Stars, Disgaea 5 Complete, Vampire: The Masquerade - Reckoning of New York
- Worked around a bug where HDR couldn't be selected in Halo Infinite
- Fixed an issue causing temporary files to accrue when using Flatpak
- Security fix for Flatpak (CVE-2024-42472)
Graphics and Performance
- Updated graphics driver to Mesa 24.1, with many performance and other improvements
- Improved responsiveness of the Steam UI
- Improved performance and stability in memory pressure situations
- Slightly improved cold boot time
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
- Fixed certain specific refresh rates failing to apply on the OLED Limited Edition model
- Fixed an issue where the internal display could remain blank after disconnecting an external display
- Fixed an issue where internal display could be abnormally limited to a lower frame rate after disconnecting an external display with VRR enabled
- Fixed rare situations where switching to Desktop Mode or back could result in a blank screen, or wrong colors
External Display
- Fixed several issues where an external display could remain blank after resuming
- Fixed an issue where an external display could remain blank if its mode required chroma subsampling
- Fixed an issue where the system could crash on wakeup if an external DisplayPort monitor was connected
- Fixed a system crash when hotplugging a second display in Desktop mode
- Improved frame pacing with VRR on external displays
Bluetooth
- Improved pairing experience with Apple AirPods
- Enabled support for Bluetooth HFP and BAP profiles
- 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
- Improved connection speed of some Bluetooth devices
- Fixed an issue where Bluetooth peripherals would disconnect on session switch
Input
- Added support for extra ROG Ally keys
- Added support for the ASUS ROG Raikiri Pro controller
- Added support for the Machenike G5 Pro controller
- Added support for the Steam Deck motion sensors to the built-in non-Steam kernel driver
- Fixed an issue where scroll wheel Steam Input bindings weren't functional
- Fixed an issue where DualShock 4 and DualSense controllers would sometimes not function properly on their first connection
- Fixed calibration on some third-party DualShock 4 controllers
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
- Fixed Zenity dialog boxes
- Fixed nested desktop crashing on launch
BIOS / Firmware
- Adjusted power LED slow charging threshold
- Fixed not being able to set the SDCard as default boot device
- Fixed spurious power LED blinking in S5
- Steam Deck OLED only
- Added support for the Windows Bluetooth driver (LCD models already have Windows Bluetooth support)
- Steam Deck LCD only
- Improved battery life by up to 10% in light load situations
- Added overclocking controls
Steam Deck Docking Station
- 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, and fixing several issues where displays could remain blank
Development and Modding
- Modified 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
- Split package reinstallation step out of `steamos-devmode` command and into new `steamos-unminimize` command. `steamos-devmode` now simply enters read-write mode and initializes the pacman keyring for use, and is much quicker.
- openssh: Fix remote code execution bug (CVE-2024-6387)
Taken from the changelog.
What's your favourite part of this update and what are you hoping to see in SteamOS 3.7?
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Some you may have missed, popular articles from the last month:
Quoting: scaineI'd never even HEARD of "Mura" before. This Reddit post is an excellent explainer though.
me neither! Thank you for the link. I've never gamed on any oled panel before (my tv is oled, but we only watch movies/shows on that) ... my desktop gaming computer is non-oled, and I have a regular ol lcd steam deck.
2 Likes, Who?
mZSq7Fq3qs Oct 24
maybe it's time to switch back to stable. I do not remember why opted in beta again on the first place...
1 Likes, Who?
Quoting: shimmyMy wishlist (currently):
- wake up on bluetooth controller connection
- switch off the TV on sleep
The OLED can do the first one; the LCD can't.
0 Likes
Mohandevir Oct 24
Somebody knows how to solve this? Since the update. when docked, I see the Steam Deck logo on my 4K TV and then I get "NO SIGNAL" from my Steam Deck LCD. I tried shutdown and restart and reboot. I changed my HDMI cable (that was working fine up until now). Nothing works. Is there a SteamOS option that I should turn off (CEC maybe)?
Edit 1: Got it. The automatic external screen resolution doesn't work with my TV. I need to set it manually to 1920x1080x60hz. The 3840x2160x60hz resolution is not recognized anymore. I must put the Steam Deck in External Display Safe Mode that makes my TV display Gamescope in 800p or something similar. After that, the max resolution that doesn't crash my display is 1080p.
Edit 2: Just had a flash, this morning... I replaced my JSAUX docking station with my old Ivoler one and put the settings back to automatic resolution detection. It boots just right. In my case, It seems the update induced a compatibility issue with the JSAUX 7in1 (HB0702) docking station.
Last edited by Mohandevir on 25 October 2024 at 1:59 pm UTC
Edit 1: Got it. The automatic external screen resolution doesn't work with my TV. I need to set it manually to 1920x1080x60hz. The 3840x2160x60hz resolution is not recognized anymore. I must put the Steam Deck in External Display Safe Mode that makes my TV display Gamescope in 800p or something similar. After that, the max resolution that doesn't crash my display is 1080p.
Edit 2: Just had a flash, this morning... I replaced my JSAUX docking station with my old Ivoler one and put the settings back to automatic resolution detection. It boots just right. In my case, It seems the update induced a compatibility issue with the JSAUX 7in1 (HB0702) docking station.
Last edited by Mohandevir on 25 October 2024 at 1:59 pm UTC
1 Likes, Who?
Nice, but I wonder why they didn't go with Mesa 24.2. Mesa 24.1 is already quite old at this point.
0 Likes
Quoting: AsciiWolfNice, but I wonder why they didn't go with Mesa 24.2. Mesa 24.1 is already quite old at this point.
A lot of other stuff is quite old as well. Kernel is 6.5. We're on 6.11 now, and 6.5 is over a year old. Plasma is 5.27, we've been on 6.x for a while now.
A lot of these new updates are already *very* stable as of now, so ....... not sure why they'd want to hold on to the older stuff.
1 Likes, Who?
My wishlist:
Please, for the love of God, let me disable notifications for people on my friend's list coming online or starting up games like I can on desktop. I only want notification bells for achievements, comments, sales, trading cards, stuff like that.
Honestly it's getting to the point where I'm almost considering sending a support request in because I feel like it's a bug and somehow Valve staff just missed introducing it like a year ago or more.
Also, time zone sync based on network. If my phone and tablet can do it, surely my Deck should be able to, right?
Please, for the love of God, let me disable notifications for people on my friend's list coming online or starting up games like I can on desktop. I only want notification bells for achievements, comments, sales, trading cards, stuff like that.
Honestly it's getting to the point where I'm almost considering sending a support request in because I feel like it's a bug and somehow Valve staff just missed introducing it like a year ago or more.
Also, time zone sync based on network. If my phone and tablet can do it, surely my Deck should be able to, right?
2 Likes, Who?
Mountain Man Oct 24
Quoting: JarmerQuoting: scaineI'd never even HEARD of "Mura" before. This Reddit post is an excellent explainer though.
me neither! Thank you for the link. I've never gamed on any oled panel before (my tv is oled, but we only watch movies/shows on that) ... my desktop gaming computer is non-oled, and I have a regular ol lcd steam deck.
It strikes me as one of those issues that people who look at their screens with a magnifying glass obsess over.
1 Likes, Who?
Mountain Man Oct 24
Quoting: AsciiWolfNice, but I wonder why they didn't go with Mesa 24.2. Mesa 24.1 is already quite old at this point.As a Linux user, you should know that "old" means "thoroughly tested and stable".
Last edited by Mountain Man on 24 October 2024 at 10:23 pm UTC
4 Likes, Who?
Quoting: Mountain ManYup, I'd rather have older stuff that works properly than bleeding edge with tons of bugsQuoting: AsciiWolfNice, but I wonder why they didn't go with Mesa 24.2. Mesa 24.1 is already quite old at this point.As a Linux user, you should know that "old" means "thoroughly tested and stable".
3 Likes, Who?
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