Valve rolled out a new one Steam tires update to the Stable channel on April 28, bringing some improvements to the system. As the company prepares to release Steam Machine later this year, Steam Deck continues to gain support, add useful features, and squash annoying bugs for players.
While the likes of the Nintendo Switch already existed, Valve attempted to carve out its own niche in the handheld gaming space when it released the Steam Deck on February 25, 2022. Part of the console's appeal was its ability to play many Steam games on the go. Additionally, Valve continued to innovate the design and released an OLED model of the Steam Deck the following year. Since launch, regular client updates have been released for the system.
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Steam Update brings improvements to chat and more
Recently, a new update was released for Steam Deck, which brings various improvements to the handheld. Valve made some changes to the chat, making it easier for users to use the feature. According to the patch notes, Steam chat can now be accessed via the quick access menu. This allows players to quickly bring up the feature while in-game. Additionally, the April 28 update introduced the Steam Deck Instant Chat feature and Big Picture Mode, which allows users to select short messages using the thumbsticks that can be sent to other Steam users. These instant chats can be edited by going to Settings and then Keyboard.
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Easy (7.5s) Medium (5.0s) Hard (2.5s) Permadeath (2.5s)
Along with some other fixes to chat, the new Steam Deck update added Remote Downloads Management. Thanks to this new feature, users can manage downloads on Remote Steam clients on the device's download page. This change may come in handy for those who want to manage their downloads on a currently unavailable system. However, it is worth noting that both the local and remote clients must be updated to use this feature.
These are just some of the highlights of the April 28th Steam Deck update. Fixes and improvements have been made in various areas, including game recording, remote play, cloud storage, and Steam Input. All of these changes combined should make the user experience even better for those playing on the Steam deck in 2026.
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This Steam Deck news comes as Valve recently provided some updates on some of its future hardware. Specifically, SteamOS developer Pierre-Loup Griffais recently told IGN that “things are going well” as the company prepares to release the Steam Machine in the future. While he stopped short of giving a release date for the system, Valve recently shared details about another one of its upcoming products. Specifically, the company revealed that its Steam Controller will launch on May 4 for $99. This latest peripheral will give gamers on both the Steam Deck and the upcoming Steam Machine new features to use when playing their favorite games at a lower price than some elite gamepads.
In addition to these updates, Griffais teased that Steam Deck 2 is still in development and said that Valve is “hard at work” on the future handheld. Unfortunately, there is no indication of when this console will be released. At least it looks like Steam Deck will continue to be supported by the company in the meantime.
Steam Deck Client Update: April 28 – Patch Notes
We've just pushed an updated Steam Deck client to the stable channel.
General
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Added a setting to enable “Switch To Desktop” on the login screen. It can be found in System Preferences.
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Added a low battery toast for wireless gamepads.
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Added a battery indicator to the header for wireless gamepads.
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Updated the Store main menu option to navigate to the Steam Store home page instead of the Great On Deck hub.
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Improved compatibility with WiFi captive portals.
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Improved customer performance when there are many unread account notifications pending.
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Fixed a case where selecting the “Preview” channel could fail.
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Fixed subtle sizing issues with the recently played carousel.
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Fixed Voice Chat tab for QAM not being hidden after ending all active voice chats.
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Fixed spell check not working in some browser views.
Chat
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Moved Steam chat to the quick access menu, making it easier to access while in-game.
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Introduced new instant chat feature for Steam Deck and Big Picture Mode.
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While in a chat, press and hold the view button to display instant chat options.
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Move the thumbstick and release the view button to send a quick chat.
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Instant chats can be edited in Settings > Keyboard.
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Focus will no longer jump to the room effect replay buttons when scrolling through chat history.
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Fixed a bug that sometimes prevented chat history from loading when scrolling up.
Downloads
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Added handling of remote downloads. This allows you to manage downloads on Remote Steam clients from the download page. You can select different clients by pressing Y on the download page.
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The app details page now has the same options and status for remote clients as the local client.
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Both the local and remote client must be updated to enable this feature.
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Game recording
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Fixed clip hotkey not working for non-Steam games when using a gamepad.
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Fixed a bug that affected taking a screenshot from a game recording clip.
Remote play
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Added feedback if recording cannot be started on the remote computer.
Cloud
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Fixed an issue that could lead to data loss when uninstalling, reinstalling, and playing a game without restarting the client in between.
Steam input
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Revised controller settings to reduce clutter and make them work better with gamepads.
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Changed controller settings to use a menu and detail structure instead of tabs to list the connected controllers.
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Fixed a case where radial menus could not be dismissed after releasing the joystick on the Steam Deck.
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Fixed a case where the controller's calibration screen could fail to load the correct values the first time it was opened.
