Valve has launched SteamOS 3.8.26 as a beta update, focusing on fixing performance issues and extending hardware compatibility across a range of handheld PCs amid ongoing testing phases.
Valve has released SteamOS 3.8.26 as a beta update for users on the beta and preview channels, continuing its pattern of testing fixes before wider release. The build is aimed chiefly at problems uncovered in earlier beta versions, rather than introducing major new features.
One of the most important changes addresses a performance drop when composition is required, including cases where FSR is enabled. In practice, that should help avoid the frame-rate penalties seen in the previous beta when the system had to combine graphics layers before display.
The update also brings a set of targeted fixes for gaming and desktop use. Valve has added a workaround for Unreal Engine 5 VR titles that could show a blank right eye, and it has corrected Bluetooth instability affecting the first-generation Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. GamingOnLinux also reported a fix for Firefox freezing in Desktop Mode when running fullscreen.
Valve has additionally dealt with several hardware-specific problems on third-party handhelds. According to the changelog, the MSI Claw A1M now avoids a Wi-Fi fault and no longer freezes after waking from standby with an SD card inserted, while Lenovo Legion Go models have had battery display errors corrected. These fixes underline how SteamOS is being tuned not only for Valve’s own devices, but for a broader range of handheld PCs.
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