The latest update from Valve SteamOS is a big update for Steam Deck fans – and I’m really talking about the handheld gaming fan. One of the common complaints about the Steam Deck is the howls of its loud and loud fans sometimes even while playing light games. Some of them, including my colleague Sean Hollister, have tried a do-it-yourself solution to fix the howls, and iFixit’s replacement Steam Deck fans have run out even though they’s on sale for less than a week.
With SteamOS 3.2However, Valve has introduced a new fan curve controlled by the operating system designed to improve the situation. “That means overall it’s smarter, more responsive to what’s happening on and inside the Steam Deck, and yes quieter “Especially in low-use situations,” the company said In a blog post (Valve emphasis).
To see if I could tell the difference, I installed the update on my Steam Deck and tried a few games. In my brief and very unscientific test, my impression is that Valve has made some great improvements.
Boot for the first time Rogue Legacy 2, A side scroll that is not too intense graphically. I immediately noticed that the fan was on Dramatically Quieter – I could only hear it sporadically – and when the speakers were turned on, I could not hear the fan at all. I had a similar experience with Vampire survivorsAlthough I did not manage to get to a typical end game, where the whole screen is filled with enemies and weapons – I am curious to see if it will push the fan more.
B Review: Shadows die twice With the settings turned to maximum, the fan still sounds, though it is usually much quieter compared to the old fan behavior, to which you can go back in the settings menu if you wish. With the new update installed, I also did not hear the fan idling through the Steam Deck menu screen, which was one of my biggest pet achievements with the device.
SteamOS 3.2 also allows you to change the refresh rates while playing directly from the three-point menu button. “The default is 60 Hz (you can limit a frame to 60, 30 and 15 frames per second), but you can now slide it down to 40 Hz (with frame limits of 40, 20 and 10 frames per second),” says Valve. Lowering the refresh rate is one lever you can pull if you want to improve battery life.
You can read the Full correction notes here. And thanks to a Steam client update, Steam’s Remote Play Together feature, which lets you play local multiplayer games over the Internet, is now “fully functional” on Steam Deck.