The valve has deployed SteamOS 3.8.0 to users on the Steam Deck Preview channel. The update introduces initial support for the steam engine and includes several improvements aimed at external displays, discrete GPUs, and third-party portable hardware.
Steam Machine is Valve’s next desktop gaming PC. It was originally expected to release in early 2026, but was delayed due to GDDR6 RAM shortage caused by industry-wide memory supply issues. Valve has not announced a new release date.
SteamOS 3.8 Multi-Monitor and Display Updates
SteamOS 3.8.0 introduces support for HDR and VRR on external monitors. The update also allows users to maintain different scaling factors on multiple displays at the same time, improves the default scaling for TVs, and provides better support for rotated displays. These changes particularly benefit Steam Deck users who connect to external monitors and are clearly aimed at Steam Machine desktop use. Additionally, a new version of KDE Plasma is included, which Valve says improves gaming performance in desktop mode.
SteamOS 3.8 increases discrete GPU performance
Valve says it has made significant improvements to VRAM Management on Discrete GPUs in this update. The Steam Machine features a custom design 8GB dedicated graphics chip AMD based RDNA 3.5 architecture. Previous benchmarks showed SteamOS lagging behind Windows on systems with dedicated GPUs, especially those with 8GB of VRAM, although it performed well on systems with unified memory.
SteamOS 3.8 support for third-party gaming laptops
SteamOS 3.8.0 adds better support for controllers, power buttons, SD card slots, and other found hardware on third-party gaming laptop PCs. At the moment, the Lenovo Legion Go S is the only non-Valve device with official support for SteamOS, and is expected to be followed by the Legion Go 2. Valve has also been in talks with Asus, OneXplayer, GPD, Zotac, Anbernic, and other manufacturers about compatibility with SteamOS, although no official announcements have been made.
Microsoft plans to respond to Valve’s desktop approach next month with Xbox Mode for Windows 11offering an easy-to-control interface for all PC form factors.
