What the beta changes for handheld PCs
Valve has released SteamOS beta version 3.8.25, extending official support to non-Valve handheld gaming PCs for the first time in this rollout. The patch notes specifically reference MSI Claw and OneXPlayer "device variants," with further, more granular mentions of initial controller support for the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, Konkr Fit, Ayaneo Pocket S and OneXPlayer Apex. Both MSI and OneXPlayer sit at the centre of this expansion, giving owners of those devices a path to Valve's Linux-based operating system as an alternative to Windows.
Steam Machine bug fix and legacy controller support
Alongside the handheld additions, the beta addresses a long-standing complaint from Steam Machine early adopters: a bug in which the CPU performance was throttled after the device woke from sleep, requiring a full reboot to recover normal speeds. Valve has also added wake-on-controller support for the original 2015 Steam Controller and enabled the Steam Controller to function without Steam running, a change that may be useful for desktop-mode use. A small quality-of-life addition, a battery indicator that flags when a connected device is drawing more power than it is receiving, is included as well.
Known issue in the beta channel
Valve is warning testers about a compositor bug that degrades performance when FSR or other upscalers are enabled. The company is working on a fix for the beta channel, and Digital Foundry notes that users encountering the problem can roll back to the latest stable release, version 3.8.16. Pocket Tactics adds that the beta also patches a 2015 Steam Controller Wireless Adapter and introduces preliminary support for the Steam Frame Wireless Adapter, plus a fix that stopped the Steam Machine from spontaneously waking after entering sleep mode.
Context for the rollout
Pocket Tactics frames the move as part of a year-long effort by Valve to broaden SteamOS beyond the Steam Deck, noting that SteamOS is generally regarded as easier to use than Windows on handhelds and has shown performance benefits in comparative tests against devices such as the ROG Xbox Ally X and Lenovo Legion Go. With the Steam Machine having recently launched and the Steam Frame expected to follow, further software updates from Valve are anticipated, though no update on a Steam Deck successor has been signalled.
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