Hero image: Steam Frame. Image: Valve
Valve has put out a SteamOS beta for Steam Frame that helps the Wireless Adapter connect in more places. A same-day client update fixes pairing and a driver crash, and you can opt in to the beta in Settings.
Valve’s SteamOS 0.5.6 beta for Steam Frame went up at 8:53am AEDT on Friday 16 October. The post says it is for the beta channel and “includes new features that are still being tested.”
To get it, open “Settings > System > System Update Channel” and opt in. Leave it alone if you would rather stay on the stable build. The latest stable release in Valve’s recent posts is SteamOS 0.4, from 8 October.
The streaming change is the one to look for. The post says Valve will “Improve robustness of connecting using the Steam Frame Wireless Adapter, making it able to connect in some situations it previously could not.” The post does not say which situations.
There are three smaller changes. Valve is disabling avahi-daemon publishing of mDNS, which it says was polluting frame-XXXX.local mappings and sometimes delaying shutdown. Desktop mode now allows .apk files in the right-click “add to steam” menu. The performance overlay gets better battery and memory reporting.
Audio gets one line. The post adds “echo cancellation and noise suppression for external microphones.”
Valve also released a Steam Client update for Frame at the same time, and this one is for everyone, not just the beta channel. It improves the reliability of pairing with the Wireless Adapter and shows progress during the first connection after pairing.
It also adds a Playtime Mode icon to the notification area and fixes Wi-Fi power saving being on at startup even when it was off in settings. On Windows it stops the adapter going to sleep, and it fixes a crash in the adapter’s driver when it fails to initialise.
If you are thinking of buying, Steam’s Australian store lists the Steam Frame 256GB Kit at A$1,609.00 and the 1TB Kit at A$1,969.00. When we checked in the afternoon of 17 October, Steam listed it first among Australian top sellers. We covered the sign-up deadline in September, and Valve’s Steam Frame posts are on the Steam Frame news page.
Source: Valve (Steam) – SteamOS 0.5.6 Beta for Steam Frame, Valve (Steam) – Steam Client Update For Frame: October 15th, Steam – Steam Frame