New Steam Deck Update Adds Battery Saver And More

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The long-awaited update for SteamOS has arrived, following several months in beta development. This new release, SteamOS Version 3.7.8, comes packed with numerous system-level fixes and enhancements. For the first time, it introduces an energy-saving feature specifically designed for the Steam Deck, which should help extend battery life.

The “Battery Charge Limit” option, which helps conserve battery life, is located under the Power section in Settings on your Steam Deck. This feature enables users to specify a maximum charge level (up to 80%) for their device. If you frequently leave your device charging or rarely completely drain its battery, it’s recommended that you set this limit to 80%.

This particular characteristic, aimed at extending the lifespan of lithium-ion batteries, is already prevalent in devices such as smartphones and laptops. It’s increasingly being adopted in gaming devices too. Notably, Nintendo has announced that the upcoming Switch 2 model will incorporate a similar feature, halting charging when the hybrid handheld console reaches 90%.

The latest update for SteamOS brings significant enhancements, not just to the core system, but also to its underlying structure. This includes improvements to the Linux foundation and the Mesa graphics driver foundation. Moreover, version 3.7.8 is designed to elevate the desktop experience on the Steam Deck by upgrading it to Plasma 6.2.5, ensuring a more seamless and contemporary user interface.

The newest version now enhances compatibility with external devices made by other companies, such as the ROG Ally (an AMD-driven device) and the original Lenovo Legion Go, in addition to providing formal support for the recently launched Legion Go S.

Users of SteamOS can anticipate various bug fixes, enhancements to compatibility, and system upgrades as well. For a comprehensive rundown, check out the detailed list of patch notes provided below:

Steam OS 3.7.8

General

  • Desktop mode now ships with Plasma 6.2.5
  • Added support for frame limiting with VRR displays (internal and external)
  • Added Battery Charge Limit control to Settings->Power
    • This option allows you to set a maximum charge limit for your Steam Deck.
    • Limiting the charge limit to 80% can be beneficial for long term battery health. This can be useful if your Steam Deck is constantly being charged (e.g. docked), or very rarely has its battery depleted.
  • Fixed a crash when no displays are connected
  • Added official support for the Lenovo Legion Go S
  • Improved support for other AMD powered handhelds (like the ROG Ally and original Legion Go)

Controllers and Input

  • Add support for the Proteus Byowave controller
  • Fixed an issue where Switch Pro Controller gyros might not work on first connection
  • Fixed an issue with stuck/hanging controller inputs when exiting Steam

Bluetooth

  • Fixed Bluetooth devices still being able to wake the Steam Deck from suspend, even when Bluetooth was disabled from Desktop mode
  • Enable HFP/HSP profiles, to allow using the integrated microphone from headsets and earbuds
    • Currently only available to select in Desktop mode
  • Added battery level display for supported Bluetooth devices
  • Include a bugfix for the Airpods when using the AAC codec
  • Bluetooth controllers can now wake LCD units from sleep, previously only available on OLED models
    • Known issue: Bluetooth LE based controllers are not currently compatible with bluetooth wake on LCD models

Steam Deck Dock

  • Made compatibility improvements for certain displays including TCL FireTV models and Dell VRR capable monitors

Graphics and Performance

  • Enabled AMD P-State CPU frequency control
  • Fixed a performance regression for No Rest for the Wicked

Desktop

  • Surround sound now works correctly
    • Enabling the setting is currently only available via Desktop mode
  • KDE Filelight is now installed by default for disk usage visualization and low disk space notifications
  • Speed and robustness improvements when switching between desktop and game mode
    • Fixed a common cause of hangs when switching to desktop mode
    • Fixed some cases where Steam could take up to ninety seconds to exit on shutdown or switch to desktop
  • Added ‘gocryptfs’ support to desktop session to enable use of the Plasma Vaults feature

Misc

  • Fixed some cases where “filter-chain” or other virtual sound devices would erroneously appear in the UI
  • Fixed cases where applying system updates could fail if certain configuration files were corrupted or malformed
  • Various enhancements to System Report functionality for support and troubleshooting
  • Fixed compatibility issue with certain DNS servers causing very slow domain lookups
  • Improved responsiveness of system when running into out-of-memory crash situations
  • Enabled IPv6 Privacy Extensions by default
  • Fixed a bootloader crash on certain non-Steam Deck devices, including qemu-based virtual machines

Known Issues

  • Super NES controllers can erroneously show up as connected when they are not

Developer

  • Added debuginfod URLs for SteamOS
  • Added systemd .socket units to the default list of /etc files preserved across updates
  • When running in a VM, system will now default to the desktop session
  • Swap file setup now uses standard ‘mkswap’ functionality instead of shipping an ad-hoc ‘mkswapfile’ script
  • The steamos-readonly command now warns that the status might not be accurate when sysexts are loaded
  • Fixed a case that could introduce duplicate boot entries for devices manually setup to dual-boot
  • The pacman cache is now cleaned after applying a SteamOS update
    • Fixes stale cache errors working with pacman after switching branches

We have just shipped an updated Steam Deck Client to the Stable channel.

Additional Client Changes

  • Fixed an issue preventing some apps from installing on the Legion Go S
  • Added “SteamOS Compatible” library tab on the Legion Go S

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2025-05-23 15:12