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Steam Deck’s biggest update since 3.5 just got a stable release, fixes include ‘improved battery life’

A big update for Steam Deck owners
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Steam Deck’s biggest update since 3.5 just got a stable release, fixes include ‘improved battery life’
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Valve has just pushed the stable release of SteamOS 3.6.19 with a ton of patch notes to dive into. We’ve been seeing a bunch of small updates lately, with not much jumping out aside from the recent ‘filesystem corruption’ fix. Either way, the latest changes have been categorized as a ‘Major Update’ – so let’s take a closer look at what we’re getting.

SteamOS 3.6.19 patch notes – biggest changes

With the Stable release live, it encompasses a build-up of beta version patches in one place. You can take a look at the full list of patch notes here, but we’re going to focus on a few things which stood out to us.

  • 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
  • Fixed a problem where Steam Deck would be unable to connect to certain Wi-Fi 7 access points
  • Fixed a general issue affecting OLED units on 3.5, causing a slow memory leak during gameplay
  • 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
  • Steam Deck LCD only
    • Improved battery life by up to 10% in light load situations
    • Added overclocking controls
  • Updated Dock firmware, with compatibility fixes for high-refresh-rate VRR displays, and fixing several issues where displays could remain blank

One thing that stands out to us among the long list of optimizations is that the LCD model has an improved battery life of up to 10% in ‘light load’ – plus the addition of overclocking controls adds another level of customization for enthusiasts.

In addition, we also again see the ‘added support for extra ROG Ally keys’ mentioned – this is what kickstarted the news that SteamOS will no longer be Steam Deck exclusive, and work is being done to bring the OS to rival handhelds.

Users online report a new bug

Big changes don’t always go so smoothly and users have been reporting a problem with the Steam and Quick Access buttons on their Deck not working. As you may know, these buttons are pretty much essential to the Steam Deck experience. This bug report can be seen on sites such as Reddit. The only apparent fix so far is switching to the beta channel, away from the stable release.


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About the Author

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.