Steam Deck Update Reduces Fan Noise, Adds Refresh Rate Control, Remote Play Together Support, and More

Today, Valve pushed out another major update for SteamOS on Steam Deck. This update focuses on reducing fan noise with some useful features finally implemented. If you missed our review, see what Jared thought of it at launch here. If you recently bought a Steam Deck, check out my features on the best accessories for it and the best games to play on Steam Deck here. I also covered the best JRPGs to play on Steam Deck. One of the biggest complaints I’ve read about the Steam Deck is the fan noise. Today’s update has a new fan profile controlled by software that drastically reduces the fan noise overall in low power consumption situations. The highlight for me is the 40hz refresh rate aspect. The Phawx covered it here based on the beta. The final new feature in this update is support for Steam’s awesome Remote Play Together. Check out a screenshot of it in action below:

The full patch notes for SteamOS 3.2 on Steam Deck are here. Other notable features are higher maximum speaker volume, quick format for microSD card, and more internal screen resolution options for games. I’m definitely looking forward to playing some Elden Ring at 40hz this weekend and continuing my Dead Cells and Hades runs. There are so many early access games on Steam that might not come to console for years, and having access to them on a portable recently has been great. My Time at Stardock is another game I was hoping to play on a portable, but was going to skip it after how mediocre the port of My Time at Portia is on Switch. It is going to be interesting to see what features Valve brings next to SteamOS and Steam Deck in the near future. What do you think of your Steam Deck if you’ve managed getting one so far?