The latest Steam Deck update adds a lock screen and improves battery life
It also includes 21 localised keyboards and updates the achievements page design
Valve has released a Steam Deck update introducing new security features.
Users now have the ability to switch on a lock screen and PIN, which can be set to show on wake, boot, login, and/or when switching to Desktop mode.
Valve said the update (see the full patch notes below) improves Steam Deck battery life in idle or very low usage scenarios.
Introducing Steam Deck
It also introduces localised keyboards for 21 languages and layouts, and adds support for multiple windows within one application or game.
Steam Deck’s achievements page has been updated too, making it faster to load and easier to navigate. It now includes options to toggle between personal and global stats, and a drop down to compare achievements between friends.
Valve said earlier this month that it’s started to ramp up Steam Deck shipments.
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The company launched Steam Deck in February following a two-month delay caused by material shortages and is currently working to fulfil a backlog of orders.
The current backlog means new orders won’t ship until after October 2022.
Valve also said this month that over 2,000 games in the Steam library have now been classified either ‘verified’ or ‘playable’ for Steam Deck.
Steam Deck update April 26
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
