Big Steam Deck 3.3 Update Brings With It a Host Of Improvements To Docked Mode And More

ign.com:

The Steam Deck is getting a whole host of improvements in the newest update from Valve including improvements to docked mode, system updates, and more. The updates, detailed in the patch notes, include a lot of fixes as well as some new features.

When in docked mode, you’ll be able to scale the Steam Deck user interface for external displays as well as toggle for automatic scaling. In an effort to presumably save battery life, the panel backlight will now stay off when docked.

For those hoping to get a peek at what's to come for the Steam Deck, the update adds a software update channel selector. This will give users three options. Stable is the recommended channel for most users and will automatically install the latest stable Steam Client and SteamOS.

If testing upcoming features sound like your jam, the Beta channel will let you do just that. Finally, the Preview channel will allow for testing of new Steam and system-level features and will update frequently but could cause issues.

The update also rolls out a scheduled night mode feature as well as an indicator for when your Steam Deck is running outside the safe operating range. Finally, you’ll be able to access the Achievements page on the overlay after pressing the Steam button in-game.

Late last month, Valve announced that users waiting to get their Steam Deck should be able to get it sooner rather than later. Thanks to an increase in materials, production has ramped up and Valve is able to fulfill orders even faster.

Upon its release in February, the handheld has been a hit with gamers pining for access to games on the go. In our review, we said that when the Steam Deck “is living up to its promises, it's absolutely incredible” but “those dizzying highs are all too