Valve continues to upgrade SteamOS, now reaching version 3.8.28 with a long list of changes to explore. Every bit of supported Steam-branded hardware is mentioned in the patch notes – along with the Steam Deck, the trio of hardware launches this year (the Steam Controller, Steam Machine, and Steam Frame) also enjoy improvements in one way or another. Non-Valve devices also get a boost.

While there is a separate SteamOS for Steam Frame branch specialized for its ARM64 architecture, recently reaching version 0.3.0, the main x86-64 branch still includes the new VR headset now and then. In today’s patch notes, Valve has added “preliminary support” for its wireless adapter on the 3.x branch. Another change that caught our eye is the “greatly improved VRAM management”.

SteamOS 3.8.28 patch notes

There are plenty of fixes in SteamOS 3.8.28, and you can find the full patch notes below. Performance improvements in limited VRAM situations are always welcome, especially with some modern AAA games eating up memory. The Mesa graphics driver has also been updated with better performance, including for ray tracing, and Valve has fixed a “20-30s startup delay in some games” for third-party devices. Speaking off, there are also improvements for MSI Claw and OneXPlayer handhelds.

General

• Updated Mesa graphics driver to a new major release, containing many ray-tracing performance improvements, as well as other performance and functionality improvements
• Greatly improved VRAM management, improving performance and stability in cases where VRAM is limited
• The Steam Machine splash screen/logo now appears much more quickly after device startup
• Added support for waking up from the Steam Controller Wireless Adapter (2015)
• Improved battery indications when the device is charging in but using more power than the charger can provide
• Preliminary support for the Steam Frame Wireless Adapter
• Added support for Steam Controller (2026) to the built-in hid_steam controller driver, enabling use with native controller applications when Steam is not running
• Fixed 20-30s startup delay in some games on non-Valve devices with no audio sources
• Fixed delayed start time for some games under Proton when no capture device is present
• Fixed an issue causing black screens in certain launchers, including Zenless Zone Zero and FINAL FANTASY XIV Online
• Fixed an issue where hotplugging HDMI displays could cause lockups in Desktop Mode
• Fixed an issue where TVs supporting an HDMI “Game Mode” would display the initial boot logo on startup before engaging said mode, causing unnecessary delay and flashing
• Fixed some cases of slow or stuck Wi-Fi connections with certain adapters
• Fixed an issue causing previous SteamOS updates to fail to apply for some users
• Fixed Firefox in Desktop Mode sometimes freezing when fullscreen
• Worked around an issue where Unreal Engine 5 VR games could display a blank right eye
• Fixed Bluetooth instability with Nintendo Switch Pro (v1) controller
• Fixed Desktop Mode allowing resolutions below 640×480 on certain displays, rendering it unusable
• Fixed a bug where the system would freeze on resume if an SD card was removed while suspended
• Fixed a rare Steam Deck issue where fan speed would revert to BIOS control until a reboot, resulting in higher than normal fan speeds
• Fixed an issue where game performance could be degraded after sleep/resume on systems with AMD discrete GPUs

Steam Machine Firmware 108

• Fixed an issue where the system could occasionally wake up immediately after going to sleep
• Fixed a rare issue where CPU performance could be degraded until reboot after waking up from sleep

Audio

• Add option to reset all audio configuration and settings to system defaults under Settings -> Audio
• Fix for HDMI audio dropouts with some game and TV combinations
• Improve reliability of HDMI hotplug detection
• Add option to prefer lower latency audio codecs for Bluetooth devices

Non-Valve Devices

• Improve support for MSI Claw and OneXPlayer device variants
• Improve support for devices with external or no Wi-Fi adapters
• Fixed an infrequent bug where some 3rd party handhelds would have input ignored when held
• Added initial gamepad support for MSI Claw 8 EX AI+
• Added initial gamepad support for Konkr FIT
• Added initial gamepad support for AYANEO Pocket S2
• Updated gamepad support for OneXPlayer Apex with new firmware
• Added controller support for missing OneXPlayer F1 and OneXPlayer 2 special edition models
• Fixed a regression with some MSI Claw devices on newer firmware losing access the Guide and Quick Access Menu buttons
• Fixed a regression with Legion Go 1 models on older controller firmware where gyroscope would fail to initialize
• Fixed a regression on OneXPlayer F1 models where rumble was being blocked and the joystick poll rate was low. As a consequence, the M1 (left) extra shoulder button is no longer able to function.
• Fixed issues with battery display on Lenovo Legion Go models
• Fixed a bug where the MSI Claw would freeze on resume if an SD card was present during suspend and resume

Developer

• Updated the Linux kernel to 6.18.50

Source: Steam Community

As a stable channel update, this version is now available for all users. There’s no need to be on the more cutting-edge beta or developer branches to access it. You should already have a notification prompting you to update your SteamOS device.

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.