Today’s Steam Deck client update (beta) adds fixes for both Steam Input and Remote Play. Additionally, Left and Right Stick Deflection has been added as an option for gyro activation. Patch notes are as follows: Steam Input Fixed controllers being treated as Xbox One controllers by default when defining their layout Fixed the L3/R3 buttons not being detected for some third party PS3 controllers Added Left and Right Stick Deflection as an option for Gyro Activation Buttons.

Now that a new Steam Deck client update has reached the stable branch, it has incorporated all the changes from the beta branch since October 18th. This is almost a month’s worth of changes, including quicker startup times if you have a large library of games, reduced size of the Steam client, QR code functionality when logging into your Steam account, gyro enabling for gamepads that don’t support capacitive touch, Nintendo-style button layouts, updated Desktop controller layout, and tons of other features, fixes, and improvements.

UPDATE (12/27/2022): updated Steam Deck guide is available! UPDATE (12/5/2022): video guide is up if you need it! Sonic Frontiers may have an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating on Steam, but there are quite a few things we can do to make the gameplay experience even better. Such as: disable letterboxing during cutscenes unlocking framerate during cutscenes 4K video playback skipping intro video decreasing graphics quality for getting smoother gameplay on NVIDIA (or other low-end hardware including the Steam Deck) making speed upgrades faster reducing hitstop for more fluent gameplay improved physics for Cyber Space levels removing the cutscene when unlocking a portion of the map increased difficulty changing how Sonic looks and plenty of other enhancements With all these mods you could practically get a fresh new session in after beating the game.

Something interesting that I came across yesterday. YouTuber The Phawx recently posted a video going over the Deck’s TDP. Turns out it’s not completely accurate. By comparing the Deck with the GPD Win Max 2 (prototype), he discovered both devices are in “absolute lockstep” – if the Deck’s TDP is set to 15 watts, for example, it will actually use 28 watts. If it’s set to five watts, it will actually use 12.

Those of you on the Stable branch on Deck should have received an update. A new startup movie has been added for BPM, and many issues have been fixed, including the standalone controller configurator showing at the incorrect browser scale. Patch notes are as follows: General Fixed Steam desktop client browser scaling changing when New Big Picture Mode keyboard or controller configurator are opened New Big Picture Mode Added new startup movie for Big Picture Mode (I tried to get a screenshot of this; the new movie isn’t showing up for me) Fixed issue with Desktop version of Remote Play Together dialogs being displayed while in Big Picture Mode Re-worked “Gifts Pending” page to be gamepad navigable Fixed trackpad typing scale in standalone keyboard in Desktop mode Fixed issue where the Main Menu was visible after exiting, then re-entering Big Picture Mode Fixed standalone controller configurator showing at the incorrect browser scale Stopped showing Steam Deck interstitial screens when in Desktop mode Steam Input

It was nice of Valve to include a carrying case with their Steam Deck. There’s nothing wrong with it; it perfectly does its job. But if you something a little extra, it’s definitely worth having a look at JSAUX’s case. It comes in a nice gray color, made of oxford cloth. Minimal branding; just the “JSAUX” text on the lower-right and nothing else. Just how I like it. There’s a yellow-colored case that’s set in similar vein to a Steam sale.

Something that slipped through the cracks regarding yesterday’s SteamOS update is the fact that the update also includes KDE Connect. Basically, KDE Connect allows the user to interact between their smartphone/tablet and the computer. Files can be sent and received between each device. Media can be controlled remotely by the computer and vice versa, and SMS text messages can be sent with the computer. It’s a pretty neat and convenient app that allows you to do work on your computer (in this case, on the Deck) while being able to send tasks to your phone, without even touching it.

Holy crap. And here I thought Valve was never going to update the Arch base. Turns out I was wrong. You might recall back in the summer I wrote about the outdated packages on SteamOS and the security risk that brought. Well, I guess you can finally use Desktop Mode with more peace of mind, now that most everything has been updated. Per Steam’s post, this update “pulls in the latest performance, security and stability fixes for the underlying packages that are the foundation for SteamOS.

Yesterday’s Steam Deck client update (beta) has added a bunch of fixes, particularly for the Downloads page in Game Mode, the OSK, Desktop Mode, and the “New” Big Picture Mode. Patch notes are as follows: General Fixed downloads page crashing when starting in offline mode Downloads page now properly responds to online/offline status Virtual Keyboard now has a maximum width, so that it doesn’t stretch to an unusable size on large screens in Docked mode Desktop Mode

I must have missed this yesterday. We have a new Deck client update (beta) that mostly focuses on bug fixes for mailto links, third-party Switch controller glyphs, offline mode, and a few others. Patch notes are as follows: Added error dialog for when the user clicks on a mailto link Set scale for startup movies so that the top and bottom of the movie are cropped for 16:9 aspect ratio in docked mode Fixed issue in desktop mode that sometimes made it difficult to drag the Friends List Fixed glyphs for third party Nintendo Switch controllers while streaming Fixed inaccurate location of context menus for the Friends List in desktop mode Fixed a bug that could prevent exiting offline mode in the same session where the client entered offline mode Patch notes can also be read on Steam.