In case you didn’t already know, SteamOS is Valve’s Linux-based operating system optimized for gaming. It has been around for over a decade now, but its popularity and development surged with the introduction of the Steam Deck. Up until recently, the popular PC handheld has been the only modern device running the OS commercially, but that has now changed.
We’ve known since CES 2025 early this year that Lenovo’s Legion Go S is getting a SteamOS version, and it’s finally in customers’ hands in some regions (such as Europe). In the U.S., the SteamOS variant has a May 25th release date. Valve has been gradually adding official support for the Go S, and now the latest Stable version confirms the device is ready to go.
SteamOS 3.7.8 is now available on the Stable channel
We’ve seen a handful of Beta versions of SteamOS 3.7 in the past few weeks, so many of these patch notes aren’t new to those who opt into the Beta or Preview channels. Now that it has rolled out to Stable, all Steam Deck users should be prompted with a notification to update. Below are the general changes; if you want to read the full patch notes, click here.
General
- Updated to a newer Arch Linux base
- Updated the Linux kernel to 6.11
- Updated the Mesa graphics driver base
- Desktop mode now ships with Plasma 6.2.5
- Added support for frame limiting with VRR displays (internal and external)
- Added Battery Charge Limit control to Settings->Power
- This option allows you to set a maximum charge limit for your Steam Deck.
- Limiting the charge limit to 80% can be beneficial for long term battery health. This can be useful if your Steam Deck is constantly being charged (e.g. docked), or very rarely has its battery depleted.
- Fixed a crash when no displays are connected
- Added official support for the Lenovo Legion Go S
- Improved support for other AMD powered handhelds (like the ROG Ally and original Legion Go)
- Updated the SteamOS recovery image for repairing SteamOS on Steam Deck and Legion Go S. If you would like to test SteamOS on your own AMD powered handheld, you can use this SteamOS recovery image and follow the instructions here.
Steam
Along with official support for the Lenovo Legion Go S, Valve has also brought improved support for other AMD-powered handhelds. These include the ASUS ROG Ally/ROG Ally X and the original Legion Go. Neither company has announced any new models at Computex 2025 (which has been going on this week), though we did get to learn about a new AMD-powered MSI Claw, which, assumingly, gains support now that it is under the umbrella of PC handhelds powered by AMD chips.
