SteamOS 3.8.0 has been released into its Preview version. In other words, it’s only available to those who opt in to the most bleeding-edge update channel, rather than the Stable channel selected by default. For Steam Deck users, this means going into your system settings and finding the ‘System Update Channel’ option, then switching it to the Preview version.

With that detail out of the way, it’s safe to say that the 3.80 Preview is nothing short of a massive update. There are plenty of improvements, bug fixes, and even mention of Valve’s upcoming Steam Machine mini PC. The cubed ‘hybrid console’ is one of the most anticipated pieces of gaming hardware in 2026, unfortunately suffering some pushback due to RAM and SSD shortages.

SteamOS 3.8.0 Preview

General

• Initial support for upcoming Steam Machine hardware
• Updated Arch system base
• Updated graphics driver with performance and stability fixes
• Fix a case where per-app performance settings would intermittently fail to apply when launching a game
• Improved support for the screencasts in Game Mode (e.g. OBS/Discord)
• Fixed dropdown menus not appearing in some games
• Improved VRR frame pacing
• Fixed FSR badge remaining off in the performance overlay, even if it was actually active
• Improved support for games that attempt to open PDF files in external viewers
• Fixed an issue affecting certain titles (such as “SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide”) where the game window could have an incorrect position
• Fixed closing certain titles (such as “STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor™”) and Starfield resulting in a session crash
• Improved support for certain USB racing wheels and USB devices that boot in a non-standard mode
  • Frequently these are devices that appear as USB storage devices with a driver installer, and must be switched to their normal mode by the OS
• Steam Deck controller firmware updates now display update progress on the splash screen
• Fixes issue on specific Steam Deck revisions where firmware updates could render the left controller inoperative for that session
• Numerous stability and security updates

Bluetooth

• Re-re-enable Bluetooth Wake for Steam Deck LCD
  • Fix for more spurious wake issues that were present in earlier attempts

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
• Increase suspend timeout for HDMI devices so initial audio isn’t cut off after a few seconds of inactivity
• 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
  • For more information, see Plasma release announcements
    • https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/6/6.3.0/
    • https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/6/6.4.0/
• Keyboard layout and language are now obeying Game Mode settings
• Improved windowing behavior for games running in Proton

System Firmware

• Includes Steam Deck LCD BIOS v133
  • Security updates
  • Added “Memory Power Down” setup option
  • Preliminary support for hibernation
• Includes Steam Deck OLED BIOS v114
  • Security updates
  • Charging LED now changes color when charge limit is reached, rather than only at 100%

Non-Deck

• Improved compatibility with recent Intel and AMD platforms
• Greatly improved video memory management with discrete GPU platforms
• Fixed a compatibility issue with the SteamOS chainloader that could cause a boot failure on some desktop systems with recent UEFI firmware
• 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 – currently only accessible in Desktop Mode
• Added controller RGB LED color settings for the Lenovo 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
• Seamless boot fixes for Z2E and later AMD APUs
• Automatically handle internally rotated display for some third-party handhelds
• Improved motion control support for handhelds with BMI260 IMUs
• SD card reliability improvements for some third-party handhelds, including ASUS ROG Xbox Ally, Legion Go 1, Legion Go S, Legion Go 2, and MSI Claw
• Fixed washed out colors for Zotac and OneXPlayer handhelds with OLED
• Fixed some GPU hangs on Phoenix APU devices (Tales of Arise, Octopath Traveler II)
• Fixed ASUS ROG Ally power consumption from fingerprint reader while shut down

Developer

• Desktop Mode now uses Wayland by default
  • X11 support may still be selected via Steam developer settings, or via `steamosctl`
• Updated Linux kernel to 6.16
• Steam now uses steamos-manager to query available desktop sessions and trigger desktop session switching
• Added support for setting the desktop password in developer settings
• Initial support for running as a Virtual Machine guest (virtio guest drivers)
• Added support for third-party devices to trigger the SteamOS boot menu via EFI variable
• Added `custom-update` verb to `atomupd-manager` for easier testing of specific builds
• System reports now include more audio debug information
• Initial support for LAVD CPU scheduler via `steamosctl set-cpu-scheduler lavd`

Source: Steam

Highlights

The first line of patch notes obviously grabs our attention, especially given the delays the Steam Machine has already faced this year. It seems to suggest that we’re getting ever-closer to launch, and it’s not only the Machine getting some love. Valve has a whole section for ‘Non-Deck’ devices and boasts better compatibility for “recent Intel and AMD platforms” along with lots of support for the Legion Go 2, which will be getting a SteamOS variant this June.

Other handheld mentions include older Legion Go devices, as well as the ASUS ROG Ally series, which now has ” controller, TDP control, and speaker audio support”. Handheld controller input latency has also been reduced across the board. Valve has also brought back the Bluetooth Wake feature for LCD Steam Decks. It originally brought this back last June, before shelving it again.

Do note that there’s currently a bug that may force users into the Beta channel. The workaround for this is enabling ‘Advanced Update Channels’ in the developer settings; Valve says the issue will be addressed in an upcoming Steam Client update.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.