VKD3D-Proton – the layer responsible for translating DX12 calls to Vulkan, and an essential part of Proton – version 2.8 just released, and “rolls up some significant new developments before the holidays.” First of all, 2.8 adds support for the VK_EXT_descriptor_buffer extension. This “removes a ton of CPU overhead.” This will particularly benefit desktop users who are on NVIDIA, Intel, Turnip, and “other AMD driver implementations” that are not pertaining to the Steam Deck.

More fixes in yesterday’s Deck client update (beta). Xbox Elite and Switch Pro layout preview pages have been added, Desktop Mode got plenty of fixes, and there’s now an option to launch the new Big Picture Mode in windowed mode. Full patch notes are as follows: General Fixed issue where a browser opened by a game was sticking around after closing the overlay Fixed launch options dialog not closing when cancelling game launch Various fixes to make the UI scale better in higher resolutions Fixed issue where the virtual keyboard would continuously be made visible after exiting a game Added option to start in windowed mode under Settings => Display => Big Picture Mode => Windowed Desktop Mode

Though 2.5.2 might be labeled as a hotfix, it got a few features as well. Arm64 builds are now available for M1/M2 Macs. The Linux version adds support for a DXVK limit FPS option. DXVK installation has been fixed, the Wine status should now be properly updated after install or uninstall, and some fixes have been added to the UI and GOG saves. See the full patch notes on GitHub.

Cemu got a pretty sweet update: it now supports Vulkan for Wayland. The AppImage got “minor” fixes; it fixes an incorrect recursive copy and adds a metainfo file. Screenshots should now work across all three operating systems. Some other commits made it in: fix MSVC workflow automatically scale imgui text based on display pixel density correctly create screenshot directory if it does not exist, and better screenshot error handling PPCAssembler: Fix incorrect cast sign of branch distance calculate make codebase more CPU-agnostic + MacOS disclaimer Linux/MacOS: Use faster clock_gettime() for tick_cached() add check for backwards delete fix SDL controller reversed y axis in UI See the commit history for more details.

Yet another update slipped my mind. This came out yesterday. The Armor-X Pro pad in PS4 mode is now supported, and several fixes have made it in on desktop and in general. Patch notes are as follows: General Fixed keyboard re-opening incorrectly on game exit Added support for the Armor-X Pro gamepad in PS4 mode Fixed long delay at startup when the Razer Huntsman Elite keyboard is plugged in Fixed the Logitech G29 controller showing up as a gamepad instead of a wheel Desktop Mode

Slippi version 3.0.0 is out. This release has early support for ranked matchmaking! For the time being, ranked matchmaking requires a subscription, the minimum of which will set you back at $5/month. Manage your Slippi account and choose your subscription tier. After that you’ll need to agree to the Terms of Service with the Slippi Launcher. Ranked matchmaking will be free after it comes out of early access. You can also check the leaderboards.

After a week of being held back due to so many changes coming in, kernel 6.1 has now officially become stable and is the next LTS release. It’s quite an exciting release! First of all, we have better support for knockoff Nintendo controllers. Second, Rust has finally made its way in, although we’re not really going to see anything significant as only the infrastructure has been re-written so far. Kernel 6.

Small update for the Deck is all fixes. Patch notes are as follows: General Fixed the new Big Picture Mode overlay being incorrect[ly] sized when the monitor is set to display scaling other than 100% Fixed DLC hover on game details page being cropped Steam Input Fixed an issue with gamepad navigation in the Steam Deck haptics calibration screen Fixed an issue w/ enabling Gyro for Switch controllers If you’re on desktop and you’re opted into the beta branch for Steam, there is a similar update available, with the addition of a MacOS bug being fixed in regards to the close button on the Steam login window.

Today’s Deck client update (beta) continues further optimization for loading times for users with big game libraries. A case has been fixed “where the UI would think that a game is running when it’s not, leaving games in an ’exiting forever’ state.” Desktop Mode got some love as well, particularly with the New Big Picture Mode. A checkbox can now be checked off when launching a game that has a selection, making that choice the default selection.

Small update for Proton Experimental is mostly focused on bug fixes. Though we did get a new game to play: eXceed - Gun Bullet Children. The EA Desktop (the EA App? I’m not sure) should now properly update, ensuring that games can now run, though this may require a few game restarts. Forza Horizon (probably both 4 and 5?) should now have the default mapping with the Logitech G920 wheel. And a regression was fixed for the Star Wars: The Old Republic launcher “failing to pen.