Valve has released a new Steam Beta, introducing long-awaited support for HDR streaming specifically for the Steam Deck OLED. The update, detailed in the latest client announcement, allows users to take better advantage of the device's display capabilities when streaming games from a host PC.
Key Improvements in the Latest Beta
Beyond the HDR functionality, Valve has implemented several technical refinements to the Remote Play experience. These changes apply to all platforms, though some features are gated behind specific configurations:
- HDR Streaming: Now supported on the Steam Deck OLED.
- AV1 Video Streaming: Added for Steam Deck users who are utilizing the experimental SteamRT3 Steam Client.
- Color Range: Improvements have been made to the video color range for Remote Play on all platforms.
The update also addresses minor quality-of-life issues, including a fix for the user chooser incorrectly appearing on startup and resolutions for persistent issues that prevented local network game transfers from initiating.
How to Access the Update
Because this update is currently in the beta phase, it is not yet available on the standard, stable Steam client. If you want to test these features, you can manually opt into the branch:
- Open the Settings menu on your Steam Deck.
- Select System.
- Locate the Update Channel and switch it to Beta.
Once the system applies the update and restarts, your client will be running the latest beta build containing these streaming enhancements.