Valve released a major update for the Steam Client across various platforms including Linux, macOS, Windows, VR, and of course, the Steam Deck. The update brings a ton of bug fixes and improvements to the overall user experience.
The update brings several features specifically designed for the Steam Deck. Users can now view battery information for connected Bluetooth devices directly in the Settings menu and the Quick Access menu. Let’s dive a little deeper into some of these changes below
Steam Deck updates
In addition to the battery information, this new Steam update brings a new toggle that allows you to control whether a specific Bluetooth device can wake the Steam Deck from sleep. This is a handy feature to prevent accidental wake-ups by nearby Bluetooth devices. Another welcome improvement is the ability to configure the magnifier scale in the Settings menu. This allows users with visual impairments to adjust the magnification level for a more comfortable viewing experience. The update also fixes some graphical glitches related to screenshots and UI data for Bluetooth devices.
Improvements across the board
The core Steam Client update brings a variety of fixes for all users. The recent apps section of the system tray menu is no longer misaligned, and video playback issues in client browsers have been resolved. For those who frequently close and reopen windows, the update ensures that support browser windows close properly and the Steam client doesn’t steal window focus during crash recovery. Family View users will also appreciate the fixes related to friends & chat functionality, user persona display, PIN entry,and chat notification sounds.
Smoother in-game overlay
Gamers will be happy to hear that Valve has significantly improved the responsiveness of the in-game overlay. This should eliminate instances where the UI feels sluggish or stuck at 1fps, especially for users with older GPUs and hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling enabled on Windows.
Library and friends management
The update streamlines the library experience by fixing the beta selection dropdown for games with lengthy titles and ensuring the app activity feed refreshes more reliably. Additionally, comments on achievement unlock will no longer disappear from the feed. There are also some consolidated filters within the library filter widget for easier navigation. For friends and chat functionality, the update reduces network traffic and fixes issues related to the invite list and joining chats within Steam Community Groups.
Steam input enhancements
Steam Input, the powerful tool for customizing controller configurations, has also been improved. The update brings the Steam button behavior for non-Deck gamepads in line with the Deck’s functionality. This means actions like opening the on-screen keyboard are now triggered with the same button combinations. External gamepads can now also load their usual guide button configurations for a more familiar experience. Gyro to Mouse functionality over Bluetooth has also been improved. For advanced users, the update introduces a “Universal Face Button Glyphs” toggle in controller settings and the ability to exclude Gyro Activation Buttons from configurations that don’t have them.
Remote play
The update brings a one-time pairing step for remote streaming from another computer. The Remote Play Together UI is also now always accessible within the overlay for supported games. MacOS users will benefit from improved desktop capture using ScreenCaptureKit on macOS 14 and hardware video encoding support. Big Picture Mode has also received some bug fixes related to web browsers, button chord summaries, and the number of presses required to open the Steam menu.
Platform fixes
The update addresses some platform-specific issues as well. On macOS, text rendering in dialogs and the in-game FPS counter have been fixed. Linux users will no longer experience crashes when opening the overlay in some games, and games with filenames containing spaces will now exit properly when forced. Finally, VR users can rejoice as the update fixes the issue of an empty Steam screen appearing in the SteamVR dashboard after launching a game.
