Valve’s massive SteamOS 3.8 update introduces eagerly anticipated features — and is compatible with Steam Machine

Valve has officially unveiled SteamOS 3.8.0 in preview, and it’s quite impressive.

This is the first version to facilitate support for the upcoming Steam Machine living room gaming PC, and it includes long-awaited functionalities for Valve’s handheld devices and further support for various third-party handhelds more extensively than ever before — covering Microsoft and Asus’ Xbox Ally series, the Lenovo Legion Go 2, the OneXPlayer X1, and additional compatibility with MSI, GPD, Anbernic, OrangePi, and Zotac.

What excites me the most: Valve is introducing genuine hibernation and “memory power down” options for the Steam Deck — initially just for the LCD version — which is expected to improve battery longevity when you press the power button or leave it unattended. At present, some Windows devices have superior battery performance during sleep, as they enter a self-hibernation mode to conserve energy, whereas the Steam Deck currently employs an immediate sleep mode.

Additionally, Valve has at last incorporated an option in its gaming interface to enable Bluetooth headset microphones — a feature I have been requesting since day one. (Valve previously added this feature to the Linux desktop mode last year.) Furthermore, the Steam Deck LCD will finally have Bluetooth Wake functionality reinstated, allowing you to power on your TV-connected Deck using a wireless controller from the comfort of your couch.

The update brings numerous enhancements for the Linux desktop modes that should prove beneficial for a Steam Machine connected to a TV or monitor, such as desktop HDR, VRR display capabilities, per-display scaling, “enhanced window behavior for games operating in Proton,” and an update to KDE Plasma 6.4.3 among other features.

For a Steam Machine or Steam handheld connected to a home entertainment system, they will now detect the number of audio channels available over HDMI to enable surround audio. (I think surround sound was already implemented, so this might simply be a different and improved automatic method.)

There’s also a new Arch system base and an updated graphics driver.

Surprisingly, the “Non-Deck” segment of the changelog is substantial. Valve states that long-pressing your power button should function “across a broad spectrum of devices” for powering off, restarting, or switching to desktop mode. You should now be able to modify power modes for the processor on the Xbox Ally, and night mode and display color options should be operational on AMD Z2 Extreme handhelds universally.

There’s also “Significantly improved video memory management with discrete GPU systems,” the ability to limit battery charging on any of the Lenovo Legion Go handhelds (in desktop mode), and a fix for “washed out visuals for Zotac and OneXPlayer handhelds featuring OLED screens.”

Last May, Valve started providing SteamOS for non-Valve handhelds, yet the company’s hardware team is cautious in making grand promises regarding support and currently doesn’t allow most competitors to ship handhelds pre-installed with SteamOS — Lenovo is the only partner known, and its second SteamOS handheld will be a variant of the Legion Go 2 in June. For installation on additional handhelds, sideloading is necessary and done at your own risk, despite Valve’s advancements.

There’s a lot included in this update, and it’s possible that I overlooked a feature of interest to you, so make sure to check the complete changelog here and further down.