Valve has released two new updates on the same day, giving Steam Deck and Linux users several fixes alongside an interesting new feature for Remote Play. The first update is available through the Steam Client Preview/Beta channel, while the second targets Proton Experimental, improving compatibility with several Windows games running through SteamOS and Linux.

What does the new Steam Client beta update offer?

General

• Using a physical mouse to click on text input will no longer bring up the On-Screen Keyboard

Steam Input

• Fixed regression with rumble on 3rd party SteamOS Handhelds
• Improved the styling of multibinding rows in the configuration mapping screen

Remote Play

• Added an experimental video codec, Pyrowave, which allows high bandwidth, low latency video streaming. You can find out more on the Steam Remote Play discussion group.

The Steam Client update is fairly small, but it includes an experimental Remote Play feature that could become important in the future. Valve has added a new video codec called Pyrowave, which is designed to provide high-bandwidth video streaming while keeping latency low. Since Remote Play sends a game running on one device to another over a network, reducing latency while maintaining image quality is particularly important for making games feel responsive.

Pyrowave is still experimental, so Valve is currently gathering feedback rather than making it the standard option. Users interested in testing it can find more information through the Steam Remote Play discussion group.

The Steam Client update also addresses a small annoyance involving the on-screen keyboard. Clicking a text input field with a physical mouse will no longer automatically open the on-screen keyboard, which should make using SteamOS with a traditional mouse and keyboard setup feel more natural.

Steam Input has received some attention as well. Valve fixed a regression that was preventing rumble from working correctly on some third-party SteamOS handhelds. The company has also improved the appearance of multibinding rows within the configuration mapping screen.

What about Proton Experimental? 

• Fixed Ragnarok: The New World to be playable on other devices than Steam Decks.
• Fixed Winning Post 9 not accepting Japanese kana input.
• Fixed video playback in Making Lovers.
• Fixed EA App Launcher login window not being focused properly with Gamescope.
• Fixed VITAL not being able to close redist installer with Xalia.
• Fixed Fallout: New Vegas incorrectly highlighting some options in the launcher with Xalia.
• Fixed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) Safe Mode window popup not working with Xalia.
• Disabled Xalia for Final Fantasy XI’s gamepad configuration window to avoid interfering with built-in controller support.
• Updated Wine Mono to 11.3.0.
• Updated Xalia to 0.5.0.
• Fixed Proton 11 regressions:
  • Deus Ex: Mankind Divided should be playable again with AMD GPUs.

The Proton Experimental update is more focused on game compatibility. Ragnarok: The New World can now run on devices other than the Steam Deck, while Winning Post 9 has received a fix for Japanese kana input. Video playback problems affecting Making Lovers have also been addressed.

Valve also fixed an issue where the EA App Launcher login window wouldn’t receive proper focus when using Gamescope. Several Xalia-related problems have been addressed as well, including incorrect option highlighting in the Fallout: New Vegas launcher and a broken Safe Mode popup in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009). Xalia has also been disabled for the Final Fantasy XI gamepad configuration window to prevent it from interfering with the game’s built-in controller support.

Finally, the update fixes a Proton 11 regression affecting Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, which should now be playable again on AMD GPUs. Valve has also upgraded Wine Mono to version 11.3.0 and Xalia to version 0.5.0.

About the Author

Abdul Haddi

Abdul is a tech writer and Editor for PC Guide, specializing in all things tech, gaming, and hardware.