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More from Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and more: all the news about the handheld PC gaming revolution

Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
It’s probably safe to download the Steam Deck update now.

I warned you yesterday after I heard a few horror stories and got stuck on the boot screen myself, but Valve has now pushed two fixes to the supposedly Stable ring — 3.4.1 and 3.4.2. They revert and defer the SD card pathing change that was tripping up people with emulators and symlinks, fix “regression causing games to crash due to missing dependencies”, and fix hardware acceleration for remote play.

Since Valve is putting 3.4.3 into preview rather than just shipping it, it seems the flurry of fixes is done for now.

See inside your Steam Deck with JSAUX’s $30 transparent backplateSee inside your Steam Deck with JSAUX’s $30 transparent backplate
Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
Steam Deck gets SteamOS 3.4 update, here’s what’s inside.

The highlights for me: a new horizontal performance overlay that uses the wasted space when you’re running games at 16:9, a fix for weird fan behavior, and the ability to manually eject (read: unmount) SD cards to be extra safe before you yank ‘em. But there’s way more, too.

I wonder if the weird adaptive backlight glitch is why my Duck Game starts stuttering after a few full rounds of play.

Update: I might wait a day to download this one. Valve already had to revert one SD card pathing change and I’m seeing owners complain of missing dual-boot partitions and getting stuck on the boot screen. My Deck sat on that screen for 30 min before I worked up the courage for a hard reset. Seems OK now.

Steam Deck OS 3.4 Update changelog

[Valve]

Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
Even if you didn’t win a Steam Deck, you might have still won a Steam Deck.

Another good reason to check your email today!

And if you’re curious about what’s next for the Deck, check out my interview with two of its lead developers.

Valve answers our burning Steam Deck questions — including a possible Steam Controller 2
Many EA games are borked on Steam Deck, but fixes are on the wayMany EA games are borked on Steam Deck, but fixes are on the way
Valve will give away a free Steam Deck every minute during The Game AwardsValve will give away a free Steam Deck every minute during The Game Awards
The Steam Deck arrives in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan on December 17thThe Steam Deck arrives in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan on December 17th
Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
3D-print yourself a better way to hold up your Steam Deck in bed?

Behold: the RestDeck. “The design is very human, very easy to use,” says creator Andrew_HL2.

While that phrasing made me chuckle quite a bit, particularly once I gazed upon its full set of appendages, I would have killed for something like this after the electric scooter accident that sent me to the hospital and savaged my hands and wrists. Something like this could be even handier for those with more permanent conditions.

Files here ($6.99); you can peruse the full instruction manual before you take the plunge.

Valve will soon tell you what components are in your Steam DeckValve will soon tell you what components are in your Steam Deck
Valve’s new dock won’t replace your Switch, but it makes the Steam Deck more usefulValve’s new dock won’t replace your Switch, but it makes the Steam Deck more useful
Valve’s latest Steam Deck update introduces longer custom boot animationsValve’s latest Steam Deck update introduces longer custom boot animations
Valve’s Steam Deck Dock is now available to orderValve’s Steam Deck Dock is now available to order
Dbrand’s Steam Deck case is so good it almost makes you forget its big flawDbrand’s Steam Deck case is so good it almost makes you forget its big flaw
It only took a month to turn a Steam Deck deposit into a purchaseIt only took a month to turn a Steam Deck deposit into a purchase
These working prototypes reveal the Steam Deck’s evolutionThese working prototypes reveal the Steam Deck’s evolution
Valve now has repair centers that can fix your Steam DeckValve now has repair centers that can fix your Steam Deck
The new Steam Deck ebook lays out Valve’s long-term visionThe new Steam Deck ebook lays out Valve’s long-term vision
Your Steam Deck might be coming by the end of September instead of Q4Your Steam Deck might be coming by the end of September instead of Q4
The Steam Deck makes PlayStation’s biggest games portableThe Steam Deck makes PlayStation’s biggest games portable
How to get your Steam Deck to access the Epic Games Store and moreHow to get your Steam Deck to access the Epic Games Store and more
You can now preorder the Steam Deck in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and TaiwanYou can now preorder the Steam Deck in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan
Valve says you’re getting your Steam Deck by the end of the yearValve says you’re getting your Steam Deck by the end of the year
How to fix the Steam Deck’s noisy fanHow to fix the Steam Deck’s noisy fan
Sean Hollister
The Steam Deck is changing how I buy gamesThe Steam Deck is changing how I buy games

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