SteamOS 3.5.5 has been rolled out to Steam Deck users on the Stable channel, bringing with it multiple enhancements promising an elevated gaming experience.
One major improvement is the adjustment of default colour rendering for the Steam Deck LCD. The emulation of the sRGB colour gamut will now deliver a warmer, more vibrant appearance.
User can also fine-tune display colours through ‘Settings’ > ‘Adjust Display Colors,’ which allows customisation of Colour Vibrancy and Colour Temperature.
For high dynamic range visuals, it also supports HDR for external displays, and additional HDR Analysis is available in Advanced Display settings.
VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) is also available, provided the USB-C adaptor supports it.
Steam Deck OLED now has official support with the update, addressing a CPU performance issue for specific workloads. External storage devices can also now auto-mount when connected.
Graphics drivers have also been updated, providing performance boosts and fixes for specific games, including ‘Starfield.’
Bluetooth stability is improved, as well as fast sleep resume speeds.
There’s also the ability to switch between controller and mouse / keyboard bindings. This can be done by long-pressing ‘Options.’
Firmware 118 has introduced voltage offset settings, allowing for more control over the performance. Firmware 121 introduces VRR support, and improves reliability when changing display modes via onscreen menus.
Other than these specific upgrades, SteamOS 3.5.5 also brings forth an updated Arch Linux base. This means there are fixes for performance, security, and stability for underlying packages.
Some of the highlights include a new window tiling system, and improved Discover (app store / software manager). This comes with an enhanced search functionality.
