Here’s what’s in the latest huge update for the Steam Deck on April 25th, 2022.
NOTE: 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.
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 stream 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
We’ve added the ability to turn on a lock screen and PIN for Steam Deck. You can set this to show up on wake, boot, login, and/or when switching to Desktop mode. Sorry little bro/sis, you won’t be able to borrow your sibling’s Steam Deck and mess with their save games any more!
The Achievements page has gotten a refresh for Steam Deck, making it faster to load and easier to navigate. You can toggle between your stats and global stats or use the new drop down to compare your achievements with any friend who also plays.
We’ve added localized keyboards for 21 languages and layouts. Multiple keyboards can be enabled at the same time, and a new globe button will appear when more than one keyboard is selected. Tapping the globe button will cycle through enabled keyboards. We are currently working on keyboards for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, so watch out for those in the future.
Steam Deck now supports games and applications that have multiple windows. If you push the Steam button while in-game, the overlay has new options to switch between active windows. This is useful for games and apps that might have multiple windows, like web browsers or games with launchers.
