One of the best things about the Steam Deck is Valve’s consistent support for it. Valve regularly releases new updates for the handheld, and while most of them are for the beta or preview channels, every now and then we get a massive update for the stable channel – in other words, for every single Steam Deck user to enjoy. The company has released yet another big update, which brings a much-demanded feature.

A few weeks ago, Valve released a new beta update for the Steam Deck, which added display-off downloads. At the time, this feature was available only for the Beta/Preview channel, but they have now finally added it for everyone in the latest update. The feature basically lets your Steam Deck complete all active downloads in low-power state while the display is off. After the download is complete, the Steam Deck will automatically go to sleep.

What does the latest Steam Deck update offer?

We have just shipped an updated Steam Deck Client to the Stable channel.

Display-Off Low Power Downloads

• Added a new feature, allowing Steam Deck to complete all active downloads in a new display-off low-power mode before going to sleep.
• This feature is enabled by default when Steam Deck is plugged in to power, and can also be enabled on battery power in Settings > Power.
• Learn more about this feature at our blog post here.

General

• Fixed a case where certain collections would become unavailable to user after reinstalling Steam or installing Steam on a new machine.
• Fixed a case where a launch dialog could appear for a game that was blocked by parental controls.
• Fixed alerts not showing up on Steam web pages that appear on Steam Deck.
• Fixed the network icon on the header showing the wrong state during startup.
• Fixed the Quick Access Menu alignment when in game.
• Fixed hidden games showing in All and Library tabs. They now appear in their own tab if applicable.
• Fixed an issue where controls could lock up for several seconds after resume or on regaining a connection to Steam servers.
• Fixed some titles launching with incorrect Steam Play settings when installed right after purchase.
• Fixed a case where bluetooth devices wouldn’t show up as available to pair when toggling bluetooth on.
• Fixed SteamOS updates failing to respect HTTP proxy configuration.

Accessibility

• Improved high contrast support in the settings dialog.

Friends & Chat

• Suspicious or harassing 1 on 1 chat messages can be reported directly in the chat window by selecting the message and pressing ‘Options’ or from the suspicious chat warning. You can optionally block and/or unfriend the other user while submitting the report.
• Added a suspicious chat warning that will appear at the top of the chat window when you receive a message that is potentially malicious. Links in chat are disabled while this warning is visible.

Steam Input

• Fixed an issue with gyro sensitivity introduced in the previous beta release.
• Fixed an issue with PS5 controller gyro over BT, and improved Nintendo controllers’ gyro stability generally.
• Fixed swapping modes between left and right hand sources breaking bindings for mode-shifts.
• Fixed the guide button opening the overlay when the guide button is disabled in controller settings.
• Added support for the latest GameInput release.
• Fixed an issue where PlayStation controller light bar settings did not stick when exiting the controller calibration page.
• Added support for the 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller.

Remote Play

• Added a “Connect” button to Remote Play settings for streaming the remote desktop.
• Don’t switch to Big Picture when streaming to Steam Deck.

Remote Play Together

• Fixed enabling and disabling player input in the Remote Play Together dialog.
• Input enable settings are persistent and are saved per-game.
• Improved mouse cursor sharing between players, with the local player having priority.

Game Recording

• Fixed timeline markers sometimes not appearing when viewing recordings outside of a game or after deleting a user created marker.

Desktop Mode

• Fixed client and chat windows not saving location when moved.

Source: Steam

While the display-off downloads feature is already enabled by default when the Steam Deck is plugged in, you can go to Settings > Power to enable it for battery power. When the handheld is downloading something while the display is off, you can press a button or move it a little to check the progress. Also, if you’re using this feature on battery power and the battery drops below 20%, the Steam Deck will automatically switch to full sleep mode. Thanks to this, it won’t run out completely.

Another great feature has been added, which now lets you report suspicious or harassing 1-on-1 chat messages directly from the chat. Users can do this by selecting the message and pressing Options.

Aside from that, the update brings plenty of fixes and improvements for different areas. For instance, it has fixed an issue that was causing certain collections to become unavailable after reinstalling Steam or installing Steam on a new machine. On top of that, the Quick Access Menu’s alignment was off while playing a game, but it has now been fixed.

Steam Input has also received some changes and improvements. The previous beta update did some damage to the gyro sensitivity, but it has now been fixed. Aside from that, the guide button was opening the overlay even when it was disabled, but the update has fixed this, too. Plus, Valve has added support for the 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller.

About the Author

Charlie Noon

Charlie is the Affiliate manager for PC Guide. He has a vast understanding of most PC hardware and consumer essentials, using his knowledge to provide the best products and the biggest deals.