Valve’s latest SteamOS update is a big one for Steam Deck fans, and I’m literally talking about the laptop game fan. A frequent complaint about the Steam Deck is its sometimes loud, high-pitched moan from fans, even while playing light games. Some, including my colleague Sean Hollister, have tried a DIY solution to fix the outcry, and iFixit replacement Steam Deck fans are already sold out despite being on sale for less than a week.
With SteamOS 3.2, however, Valve introduced a new operating system-controlled fan curve that aims to make things better. “This means it’s generally smarter, more responsive to what’s going on in and out of Steam Deck, and quieter, especially in low-usage situations,” the company said in a blog post. ).
To see if I could notice any difference, I installed the update on my Steam Deck and tried some games. In my brief, extremely unscientific tests, my impression is that Valve has made great improvements.
I first started Rogue Legacy 2, a side-scrolling roguelike that isn’t too intense graphically. I immediately noticed that the fan was dramatically quieter (I could only hear it sporadically) and with the speakers on, I couldn’t hear the fan at all. I had a similar experience with Vampire Survivors, though I didn’t have time to get to a typical final game, where the whole screen is filled with enemies and weapons; i am curious to see if this will further boost the fan.
Valve’s new Steam Deck update seems to make a BIG difference in fan noise. I tried to capture it on video with Vampire Survivors. The first part of the video uses the old fan settings. The second part uses the updated ones. (sorry for the terrible cinematography) pic.twitter.com/SxIsHMgrg0
– Jay Peters (@jaypeters) May 27, 2022
In Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice with the settings set to maximum, the fan is still audible, although it is generally much quieter compared to the behavior of the old fan, which you can return to in the settings menu if you wish. With the new update installed, I also didn’t hear the fan while idle on the Steam Deck menu screen, which was one of my biggest anxieties with the device.
SteamOS 3.2 also allows you to change game update rates on the fly directly from the three-point menu button. “The default is 60 Hz (which can be limited to 60, 30, and 15 fps), but now you can slide it to 40 Hz (with frame limits at 40, 20, and 10 fps),” says Valve. Reducing the refresh rate is a lever you can pull if you want to improve battery life.
You can read the full patch notes here. And thanks to a Steam client update, Steam’s Remote Play Together feature, which allows you to play local multiplayer games online, is now “fully functional” on Steam Deck.