Valve is Watching - Steam Deck’s HUGE Update

Valve's Steam Deck Community and SteamOS 3.5

The transcript discusses how Valve is watching the Steam Deck community for ideas on how to improve the device, and how they have added a Vibrancy slider to SteamOS 3.5.

Valve's Interest in the Steam Deck Community

• Valve is paying attention to the Steam Deck community for ideas on how to make improvements.

Vibrancy Slider in SteamOS 3.5

• A new Vibrancy slider has been added to SteamOS 3.5.

• The slider acts similar to the VibrantDeck plug-in available on DeckyLoader.

• Reports suggest that it may be even better than the plug-in.

Upcoming Updates in SteamOS 3.5

This section covers upcoming updates in SteamOS 3.5, including major updates to the desktop mode and EmuDeck.

Major Updates in Desktop Mode

• There will be a major update to desktop mode, which is said to be the biggest update since Big Picture Mode was added.

Roadmap for EmuDeck

• The transcript mentions an upcoming roadmap for EmuDeck, but no further details are provided.

Humble Bundle Striking Soulslikes Bundle

This section covers a Humble Bundle featuring at least six Deck Verified Soulslike games for $18, with more games expected soon.

Striking Soulslikes Bundle Details

• The bundle includes at least six Deck Verified Soulslike games.

• More games are expected soon.

• The games have at least Mostly Positive reception, with some major standouts.

• Loot River and Sands of Aura are mentioned as being worth experiencing despite some flaws.

Review of Loot River and Sands of Aura

This section provides a review of two games included in the Striking Soulslikes Bundle: Loot River and Sands of Aura.

Review of Loot River

• Loot River is described as feeling like Diablo meets Soulslikes.

• The speaker got consumed by it for a few weeks.

Review of Sands of Aura

• Sands of Aura is still in Early Access but already has 20-30 hours of content.

• It's compared to a Souls-like version of Wind Waker where the vast ocean is replaced by sand.

Salt and Sanctuary Key Giveaway

This section covers a key giveaway for Salt and Sanctuary, as well as other games, thanks to some awesome viewers.

Key Giveaway Details

• A key giveaway is announced for Salt and Sanctuary, as well as other games.

• Some viewers sent keys over to be featured in the giveaway.

• Aaron, Marcus, and cutmire are given shoutouts for their contributions.

Updates on ROG Ally Situation

This section covers updates on the ROG Ally situation, including leaks about pricing for the Z1 Extreme model and Z1 model.

Leak About Pricing for Z1 Extreme Model

• A leak suggests that the Z1 Extreme model will come in at $699.

• The Z1 Extreme model is said to be better than the Z1 model.

Leak About Pricing for Z1 Model

• A new leak suggests that the Z1 model will be priced at $599.

• The two prices don't seem to make much sense together.

Linus's Thoughts on the Ally

• Linus talked about what to expect from the Ally on the WAN show.

• He thinks that if the alleged price of the Z1 Extreme model is true, it's very aggressive pricing because the Ally has better performance and is much quieter.

• He clarifies that it's not a perfect experience but games are more compatible despite problems sometimes playing them.

EmuDeck 2.1 Update

This section discusses the updates made to EmuDeck 2.1, including UI changes, new emulators, USB transfer wizard, a new way to manage emulators, Migrate Installation feature and Cloud Services Manager.

EmuDeck 2.1 Update

• EmuDeck had its largest update with EmuDeck 2.1.

• The update came with some big UI changes and some new emulators.

• It also introduced a USB transfer wizard and a new way to manage emulators.

• A Migrate Installation feature was added as well as a new Cloud Services Manager that allows users to more easily add cloud services like Netflix and YouTube to their Game Mode.

EmuDeck 2.2 Preview

This section previews the upcoming release of EmuDeck 2.2 and its SaveSync feature.

EmuDeck 2.2 Preview

• EmuDeck has a roadmap for version 2.2 but it is mostly secret.

• They gave us a little peek into what’s coming next by demonstrating the new SaveSync feature across three different machines running SteamOS in Desktop Mode, Windows using EmuDeck Windows Edition, and Steam’s Game Mode.

• The SaveSync feature automatically syncs saves and save states across different machines.

• The Windows Edition of EmuDeck is still in Beta but once the SaveSync feature is more stable, they’re going to rename it to EmuDeck WE Early Access.

Yuzu Improvements

This section discusses improvements made on Yuzu emulator related to Breath of the Wild game.

Yuzu Improvements

• Yuzu continues to see even more improvements, especially related to Breath of the Wild.

• Particule issues were fixed in Normal Accuracy and this led to a 35% boost in FPS.

• This is in addition to other changes that improve the performance and compatibility of Breath of the Wild when running on Yuzu.

Steam Deck Launches in Japan

This section discusses the launch of Steam Deck in Japanese retail stores.

Steam Deck Launches in Japan

• The Steam Deck launched in Japanese retail stores last week.

• According to BoilingSteam, there were 50 people waiting in line as the store opened and various Steam Deck posters every few meters on the facade of the store.

• The demo units had high tables where customers could sit and play games like Tales of Arise, Octopath Traveller 2, Hades, Ace Attorney Chronicles, Monster Hunter Rise, Death Stranding, Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Links, Elden Ring and Bomberman.

• Overall impressions from BoilingSteam were positive but they did state there were some problems like games crashing or not launching properly.

Steam Client Update

In this section, the speaker talks about the latest update to Desktop Steam from Valve. The update includes changes that make it easier to iterate on Steam in the future, a refreshed UI, and an overhauled In-Game Overlay.

Changes Made Under the Hood

• Changes were made under the hood to make it easier to iterate on Steam in the future.

• The entire Steam UI was refreshed to make it more consistent.

• The In-Game Overlay was completely overhauled with more utility and customizability.

New Features

• A new toolbar gives access to anything needed in-game such as friends chat, achievements progress, guides, discussions, a browser and more.

• A Game Overview serves as a one-stop-shop for seeing what's going on with the game since you last played it.

• A new Notes app lets you take notes about the game that you're currently playing. It's synced across other PCs and can even be used offline.

Other Improvements

• The overlay now allows pinning windows so they can still show up in-game.

• Notifications are now richer and more useful.

• The Screenshot Manager has been completely refreshed.

• Technical work in this update makes it possible to enable hardware acceleration for Mac & Linux versions of Steam.

Soundtrack Player Update

This section briefly mentions an unintentional update found by Reddit users where any soundtrack owned inside of Big Picture Mode can be launched using Soundtrack Player.

Unintentional Update

• Any soundtrack owned inside of Big Picture Mode can be launched using Soundtrack Player.

SteamOS 3.5

In this section, the speaker talks about what to expect from SteamOS 3.5.

What to Expect

• SteamOS 3.5 will be based on Debian 11.

• It will include a new version of Proton, which is Valve's compatibility layer for running Windows games on Linux.

• The update will also include support for the latest AMD and Intel hardware.

• There will be improvements to the UI and overall performance.

• The release date has not been announced yet.

Advanced Channels and Vibrancy Slider

In this section, the speaker talks about the Advanced channels in SteamOS and how they are unstable. They also discuss a new Vibrancy slider that Valve has added to this branch of SteamOS.

Advanced Channels

• The Advanced channels in SteamOS enable users to see more features.

• These channels are even more unstable than the Preview channel and not intended for general public use.

Vibrancy Slider

• Valve has added a new Vibrancy slider to this branch of SteamOS.

• This feature seems inspired by the popular VibrantDeck plugin available on Decky Loader.

• The new slider works on external displays as well.

Community Feedback and Improvements

In this section, the speaker discusses how Valve watches different channels to see how people are using their Deck and what tools people are using to customize their Deck in different ways. They also talk about some bug fixes related to long-loved plugins like SMT and HDR support.

Bug Fixes Related to Long-Loved Plugins

• Valve watches different channels to see how people are using their Deck and what tools they use for customization.

• There is a bugfix in the upcoming SteamOS that relates to another long-loved plug-in - SMT.

• The performance bug related to SMT was actively hurting Switch emulation which is CPU-bound on the Steam Deck.

• This fix means you don’t need PowerTools anymore to disable SMT in order to get the most out of Switch emulation on Deck.

HDR Support

• HDR (+HDR10 PQ) support is now available in addition to better color management in general.

Features Borrowed from Community

In this section, the speaker talks about how Valve borrowed from the community to improve SteamOS. They also discuss some features they would like to see in the future.

Features Borrowed from Community

• Valve borrowed custom boot videos, VibrantDeck plugin, PowerTools, and Notebook plugin from the community.

• This helps Valve see what people actually find useful and what features are popular before spending too much time working on something that doesn’t end up getting used.

Features Speaker Would Like to See

• Decky Recorder is another Decky Loader plug-in that allows users to record clips on the Steam Deck without a huge cost to responsiveness.

• Decky Cloud Save is a cloud save solution for games that don’t support Steam Cloud.

• CryoUtilities suite of Utilities on the Steam Deck help improve performance in some scenarios.

Horoscopicus Game

In this section, the speaker talks about a game called Horoscopicus whose developer reached out and asked if they wanted to share with their viewers.

Review of a Game on Steam Deck

In this video, the speaker reviews a game that works well on Steam Deck. The gameplay is simple but fun and challenging, with the ability to choose your own path affecting which power-ups you get first. The game can be challenging but is short, and there is an assist mode available for those who want to see everything the game has to offer.

Gameplay Overview

• The gameplay is simple yet fun and challenging.

• Players can choose their own path, which affects which power-ups they receive first.

• The game can be challenging but is short in length.

• An assist mode is available for players who want to see everything the game has to offer.

Recommendation

• The speaker recommends checking out the game if you have not received a key or adding it to your wishlist for next time.

• Since it's already inexpensive, it's worth picking up if you're interested in playing it on Steam Deck.

Conclusion

• Overall, the speaker enjoyed playing this game on Steam Deck and recommends it to others who are looking for a fun and challenging experience.