Valve has released version 3.8.10 of the SteamOS operating system, marking it as the first stable release in the 3.8 branch. SteamOS is available on devices like the Steam Deck and has recently been adopted in gaming consoles from some other manufacturers, such as Lenovo Legion Go S and ASUS ROG Ally. To install, set the 'Steam Deck Preview' channel in the update settings under 'Settings > System > System Update Channel'. In the past, enthusiasts developed unofficial builds like HoloISO and SteamFork, but they have been abandoned.
The platform is based on Arch Linux and uses a compositing Gamescope based on the Wayland protocol to speed up game launches. server It comes with a read-only root file system, employs an atomic update installation mechanism, supports Flatpak packages, utilizes the PipeWire multimedia server, and offers two interface modes (Steam Shell and KDE Plasma desktop).
Among the changes:
- The desktop environment has been updated to KDE Plasma 6.4 (previously on 6.2) with Wayland protocol set as default (support for X11 can be restored via steamosctl).
- Initial support for the Steam Machine console has been added.
- A setting to specify a password for the desktop session has been introduced.
- Initial support for launching has been implemented. of virtual machines using virtio drivers.
- Support for the LAVD (Latency-criticality Aware Virtual Deadline) task scheduler has been provided, which can be enabled with 'steamosctl set-cpu-scheduler lavd'. LAVD takes into account the importance of reducing latencies for specific tasks and uses process execution information when making CPU resource allocation decisions.
- Synchronization with the Arch Linux package base has been performed. The Linux kernel has been updated to version 6.16. Fresh versions of the graphics drivers have been employed.
- In Game Mode, support for creating screencasts has been enhanced.
- Support for the VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) mechanism has been improved, adaptively changing the monitor's refresh rate for smoothness and eliminating tearing during games and video playback. Initial support for HDMI VRR has been added.
- Support for games trying to open PDF files in external viewers has been enhanced.
- Support for some USB game controllers and combined USB devices (e.g., storage + modem) has been improved.
- When using HDMI for audio output, support for audio channel information and speaker configuration has been added.
- A setting has been added to use the microphone from Bluetooth headsets.
- Improved support for rotating monitors.
- Scaling has been enhanced for output to televisions.
- Support for external HDR screens and displays with VRR has been added.
- Separate scaling level selection for different screens has been introduced.
- Keyboard layout and language settings are synchronized between desktop and gaming mode.
- Initial support for sleep mode with memory saved to disk (hibernation) has been added.
- Compatibility with new Intel and AMD platforms has been improved.
- Video memory management capabilities for discrete graphics cards have been significantly expanded.
- Support for game controllers for OneXPlayer X1 and Lenovo Legion Go 2 consoles has been added.
- Improved support for game controllers for ASUS ROG Xbox Ally, OneXPlayer F1, GPD Win 5, GPD Win Mini, Anbernic Win600, OrangePi NEO, and Lenovo Legion Go.
- Initial capability for limiting the charge level for Legion Go, Legion Go S, and Legion Go 2 devices has been added.
Source: opennet.ru
