Valve’s Steam Deck komt steeds meer op stoom (sorry) en er zijn inmiddels meer dan 2000 titels officieel ‘geverifieerd’ of ‘speelbaar’ op de handheld. Het Amerikaanse bedrijf werkt daarnaast stevig door aan de software en men rolt met enige regelmaat nieuwe updates en features uit voor het platform, zoals officiële Windows drivers.

Valve heeft niet stil gezeten, want men heeft alweer de volgende update uitgerold, die een lock screen en window switching toevoegt aan de handheld. Het lock screen zal je bekend voorkomen van je smartphone, ook hier kun je een persoonlijke PIN instellen en zelfs configureren wanneer het lock screen tevoorschijn komt, bijvoorbeeld na een reboot of als je hem simpelweg uit de ruststand haalt.

Tevens zijn de Achievement pagina’s aangepast, zodat ze wat efficiënter laden en het is mogelijk om via een menu sneller over te schakelen naar een ander programma zoals een browser. De volledige patchnotes staan hieronder:

NOTE: When updating, make sure you are in game mode, not Desktop mode. If you’ve updated from desktop mode and are stuck in a boot-loop, please follow these recovery instructions.

Today’s update includes Steam, OS, and firmware updates, and may take a few minutes to apply after restarting. Please be patient while your Steam Deck updates.

This update has been re-released at 10PM PDT to fix an issue with lock screen PIN entry
Client Update:
  • Added Lock Screen feature
    • Lock screen is specific to device, and can be set to show up on wake, boot, login, and/or when switching to Desktop mode
    • PIN can be entered using the touchscreen or controls
  • Added localized keyboards for 21 languages and layouts
    • Multiple keyboards can be enabled in Settings > Keyboard > Active Keyboards
    • Use the new globe key on the keyboard to cycle between active keyboards
  • Added support for multiple windows within one application or game.
    • Press Steam to view active windows and select which window you would like to view
    • Useful for web browsers or games with launchers
  • Updated Achievements page design, making it faster to load and easier to navigate
  • New achievements drop down allows players to quickly compare stats against any friend who also plays
  • Add Friend and Pending Requests have been combined into a single new page for better handling of friend requests
  • Added logic to detect and notify user when a microSD card doesn’t match advertised storage size and specifications, instead of attempting to format (for a very long time)
  • Fixed issue where Steam and (…) button couldn’t be used with Remote Play when streaming games from PC
  • More performance improvements for players with very large game libraries
OS Update:
  • Added messaging when a charger that doesn’t meet the minimum bar is plugged in
  • Added uncapped framerate setting in Quick Access menu > Performance
  • Added Half-Rate Shading experimental option to Quick Access menu > Performance, forcing 2×2 Variable Rate Shading into existing games for power savings
  • Added fTPM support, enabling Windows 11 installation
  • Added button combo: hold “…” + “Volume Down” to reset PD contract in the cases where Steam Deck gets stuck due to an incompatible Type-C device
  • Updated power LED to dim a few seconds after power supply connection events for better experience in dark environments
  • Improved compatibility for a number of Type-C docks and PSUs
  • Improved battery life in idle or very low usage scenarios
  • Improved stability
  • Fixed issues where the touchscreen does not work after some boots
  • Fixed compatibility with some SD cards specifically when used as boot devices.
  • Fixed extra haptic click when pressing on trackpads
  • Fixed ACPI error spew in the kernel