SteamOS 3.3 and a Steam Deck Client update have been released for all device owners today following a trial period in the Beta and Preview channels. The update includes several changes for the Steam Deck, such as a temperature warning when the device’s temperature rises above a safe operating level in hot weather.
SteamOS 3.3 Update Patch Notes
With summer in full swing in the northern hemisphere, many Steam Deck owners are facing heat waves where temperatures can rise above that where the device can be operated safely. Following in the shoes of Nintendo, who issued a temperature warning for Switch owners, Valve has made sure players know when their Steam Deck device is in danger of overheating in this update. Other fixes include adding Achievements and Guides pages to the overlay, and making sure players can get their Steam Deck digital rewards without issue. You can find the full list of SteamOS 3.3 bug fixes and improvements below:
General
- Added Achievements page to overlay (while in-game press Steam button)
- Added Guides page to overlay (while in-game press Steam button)
- Added notification when Steam Deck temperature goes outside the safe operating range
- Added a scheduled night mode feature, allowing players to choose if and when they’d like night mode to automatically turn on
- Added a button to clear entered text in search bar
- Adaptive Brightness toggle is now active again
- Fixed notification for claiming digital rewards firing endlessly for some customers
- Fixed issue with medium length game names in the Main Menu Overlay not properly scrolling
- Fixed some issues with claiming Steam Deck digital rewards
- Fixed sound playing for achievement progress notifications
- Fixed washed-out colors in the Remote Play client when playing with specific hosts
- Fixed Xbox login window for Flight Simulator and Halo Infinite not rendering certain characters properly
Steam Input
- Added missing Deck buttons for Gyro Enable and Button Chord options
- Added support for game-bundled Virtual Menu icons in the in-game Deck UI
- Miscellaneous performance improvements
Keyboards
- Added support for Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Korean keyboard. We are still refining these keyboards, please provide feedback in the forums.
- Added initial IBus IME input support on the desktop for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean keyboards
- Fixed desktop mode keyboard sometimes failing to show or dismiss
- Fixed on-screen keyboard showing up under the Steam or Quick Access menu
- Updated keyboard behavior for improved fast typing on trackpad and touchscreen. (pressing a key while holding another key will now commit the held key instead of waiting for first to release)
- Fixed some touch styling issues with the virtual keyboard
System Updates
- Added a new Steam Deck software update channel selector – there are now three options:
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Stable: Recommended experience for most users. This option will install the latest stable Steam Client and SteamOS.
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Beta: Testing for new Steam features. Updates frequently. This option will install Steam Client Beta and the latest stable SteamOS.
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Preview: Testing for new Steam and system-level features. Updates frequently. You may encounter issues. This option will install Steam Client Beta and the SteamOS Beta.
- You will only see patch notes for the update channel you’ve selected.
Performance / Stability
- Fixed some performance problems for users with many screenshots
- Fixed several crashes related to managing screenshots
- Fixed several crashes related to non-Steam shortcuts
- Fixed some native Linux games not exiting when force-quit through Steam
- Fixed flatpak Chrome closing improperly when quit through Steam
- Fixed a bug where some flatpak applications (like Edge) couldn’t successfully quit
- Fixed a performance issue with some games when the backlight changes intensity
Desktop Mode
- Updated Firefox to be installed as a Flatpak, rather than from the OS repositories, to ensure timely updates
- First-time launches of Firefox from the desktop will now prompt for installation via the Discover Software Center, which will handle updates as they are published.
- Updated network connections created/edited on the desktop to default to system-wide, ensuring they are available in gaming mode
- Added VGUI2 Classic Plasma Desktop theme
- Resized virtual keyboard in Desktop mode to the appropriate dimensions
- Added support for the Qanba Obsidian and Qanba Dragon arcade sticks in Desktop mode
Docked Mode
- Added an option to scale the Steam Deck user interface for external displays
- Added a toggle for automatic scaling of the Steam Deck user interface for external displays
- Added ability to adjust image display settings for external displays that have overscan issues
- Fixed the panel staying off when disconnecting from dock shortly after resuming from sleep
- Fixed the panel backlight staying on while docked
Audio / Bluetooth
- Fixed Bluetooth profile selection not being saved when switching away from Desktop mode
- Fixed echo cancellation CPU overhead when the microphone isn’t being used, improving power usage in idle or near-idle scenarios
- Fixed multi-channel audio on external displays
- Fixed audio out on some capture cards
- Fixed some instances of corrupt audio after resuming from sleep
- Fixed audio output with some 32-bit games that use ALSA
Drivers / Firmware
- Updated graphics driver with compatibility and performance fixes
- Updated wireless driver with fixes for WiFi disconnection issues on 5Ghz
- Updated controller firmware utilities to support future controller hardware revisions
In other news, we have a full list of games included in PC Game Pass for August 2022. Elsewhere, the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet legendaries will indeed convert into vehicles for players to use.
