Valve’s huge Steam Deck update is now ready for everyone, including rival AMD handhelds


Valve has been building up to this for months, first in preview, then beta, and now finally in a full stable release: a new version of SteamOS that brings brand new features to the Steam Deck and supports third-party handhelds like Lenovo’s Legion Go and Asus’s ROG Ally series.
Until now, those who wanted to try SteamOS on those Windows handhelds could shoehorn the Steam Deck’s original recovery image onto their device, or opt for a similar experience like Bazzite. But now, Valve explicitly provides instructions for getting that image working on a Legion Go or ROG Ally, even as it warns that “support for all devices that is not officially ‘Powered by SteamOS’ is not final.”
But even if you don’t care about rival handhelds, SteamOS 3.7 has a lot of improvements for the Steam Deck. I’ve been asking Valve to let me use my Bluetooth earbuds’ microphone since launch, and it’s finally happening in desktop mode (sadly not gaming mode yet) thanks to HFP/HSP profiles. You can turn on your Steam Deck LCD from across the room with a Bluetooth controller, a feature previously exclusive to the OLED model, which comes in handy when you’re docked to a TV.
Speaking of leaving it docked, you can now set a Battery Charge Limit to 80 percent for longevity’s sake if your handheld is always plugged in, you can frame-limit variable refresh rate displays, and control the P-state frequency of certain AMD CPUs.
And, an updated SteamOS FAQ seems to suggest that Valve is ready to expand SteamOS beyond Lenovo and the Steam Deck. “We’re currently working with select partners on officially licensed Powered by SteamOS devices. Please reach out to us at [email protected] for more information about licensing SteamOS for your device,“ one answer reads.
But the industry is still waiting for Valve’s other shoe(s) to drop. Rumors are still heating up that we’re close to the launch of Valve’s wireless VR headset “Deckard,” and that it might be pointing the way towards a SteamOS-powered living room console too. Valve has been moving slow and steady, but it seems like a master plan for Steam Machines could finally be coming into focus.
Valve has been building up to this for months, first in preview, then beta, and now finally in a full stable release: a new version of SteamOS that brings brand new features to the Steam Deck and supports third-party handhelds like Lenovo’s Legion Go and Asus’s ROG Ally series. Until…
Recent Posts
- Valve’s huge Steam Deck update is now ready for everyone, including rival AMD handhelds
- What to expect at WWDC 2025: A new look, Apple Intelligence and more
- Anthropic’s new Claude 4 models promise the biggest AI brains ever
- Xiaomi’s new PU7 spells trouble for Tesla in China
- How to use Nintendo Switch virtual game cards
Archives
- May 2025
- April 2025
- March 2025
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- September 2018
- October 2017
- December 2011
- August 2010