Valve has released the new SteamOS 3.2 update, which brings a variety of improvements to the device. One major addition is now players can adjust the in-game screen refresh rate on the fly to help balance out your game quality, framerate, and improve your battery life for whenever one of those is most important.
Additionally, one of the major sticking points for player has been fan noise, which should now be improved in this update. The fan has a smarter fan curve, which means it will adapt more intelligently to situations which require higher speeds when hotter or reduce the noise in a lower use situation. If you liked the way the fan operated before, you can switch it back if necessary!
While those were some of the major addition in this update, there are a few other interesting inclusions. Audio has been improved and you can now max the speaker volume even higher than before. Remote Play Together is now fully functional, which means you can join the games of nearby players with your device!
Here’s a look at some of the details from the official patch notes:
Refresh Rate
Players now have the option to adjust the in-game screen refresh rate on the fly. The default is 60Hz (which can be frame-limited to 60, 30, and 15fps), but you can now slide it down to 40Hz (with frame limits at 40, 20, and 10fps). Or any number (integer) between those two settings. This feature is great for finding that perfect balance between framerate, game quality, and battery life. Pro-tip, we have found that 40Hz tends to be a sweet spot for responsiveness, consistency, and smoothness*. And of course, you can save this setting on a per-game basis.
Fan Behavior
The team has been hard at work on Steam Deck’s fan behavior, and this update has an all-new OS-controlled fan curve. This means that overall it’s smarter, more responsive to what’s happening on and inside Steam Deck, and quieter – especially in low usage situations. This has been tested extensively, and we’re continuing to work on improvements – so please let us know what you think. If you prefer the way the fan used to work, you can always switch back to the old (BIOS-controlled) fan behavior in System > Settings.
The Steam Deck is available for purchase in three different options, but still requires you to reserve your device in a queue. People who have placed a pre-purchase reservation are still waiting to get the opportunity to place their order.
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