Valve updates Steam Machine firmware, improves MSI Claw and OneXPlayer support
Valve has released SteamOS 3.8.25 Beta , bringing a new firmware update for Steam Machine alongside expanded support for third-party gaming handhelds. Steam Machine Firmware 108 specifically targets two problems related to sleep and wake behavior.
Steam Machine Firmware 108 targets sleep problems
Valve says Firmware 108 fixes an issue where Steam Machine could occasionally wake up immediately after being put to sleep. The update also addresses a rarer problem where CPU performance could remain reduced after waking from sleep. A reboot was previously required to restore normal performance in affected cases.
Both changes are relatively focused, but sleep and resume are important parts of the console-style SteamOS experience. Valve is still distributing these changes through the Beta and Preview channels, so Firmware 108 is currently part of a test release rather than the stable SteamOS branch.
© Valve SteamOS 3.8.25 also includes several HDMI fixes relevant to Steam Machine. Valve fixed lockups caused by hot-plugging HDMI displays in Desktop Mode, improved HDMI hotplug detection and addressed audio dropouts with some combinations of games and TVs. The update also changes startup behavior on TVs that support HDMI Game Mode to avoid unnecessary switching and flashing during boot.
More third-party handheld support
Valve is also continuing to expand SteamOS support beyond its own hardware. The update improves compatibility with MSI Claw and OneXPlayer device variants , while adding initial gamepad support for the MSI Claw 8 AI+ , Konkr FIT and AYANEO Pocket S2. OneXPlayer Apex gamepad support has also been updated for newer firmware.
© Onexplayer Other changes include better handling of systems with external or no Wi-Fi adapters and a fix for third-party handhelds occasionally ignoring input when held. SteamOS 3.8.25 moves the Linux kernel to 6.18.42 and adds support for the 2026 Steam Controller in the built-in
hid_steam
driver. Valve warns that the current beta still has a known performance issue in cases where composition is required, including when FSR is enabled.
SteamOS 3.8.25 Beta click to expand
This update is for the SteamOS Beta and Preview channels, and includes new features that are still being tested. You can opt into this in Settings > System > System Update Channel.
Known Issues – Beta
- There is a known issue with degraded performance in some cases when composition is required (such as when having FSR enabled). This issue is fixed in the latest SteamOS stable release (3.8.16). Affected users may wish to switch to the stable update channel while we work on bringing this fix to the beta channel.
General
- Added support for waking up from the Steam Controller Wireless Adapter (2015)
- Improved battery indications when the device is charging in but using more power than the charger can provide
- Preliminary support for the Steam Frame Wireless Adapter
- Added support for Steam Controller (2026) to the built-in [c]hid_steam[/c] controller driver, enabling use with native controller applications when Steam is not running
- Fixed an issue where hotplugging HDMI displays could cause lockups in Desktop Mode
- Fixed an issue where TVs supporting an HDMI “Game Mode” would display the initial boot logo before engaging said mode, causing unnecessary delay and flashing
- Fixed some cases of slow or stuck Wi-Fi connections with certain adapters
- Fixed an issue causing previous SteamOS updates to fail to apply for some users
- Security and stability fixes
Steam Machine Firmware 108
- Fixed an issue where the system could occasionally wake up immediately after going to sleep
- Fixed a rare issue where CPU performance could be degraded until reboot after waking up from sleep
Audio
- Fix for HDMI audio dropouts with some game and TV combinations
- Improve reliability of HDMI hotplug detection
- Add option to prefer lower latency audio codecs for Bluetooth devices
Non-Valve Devices
- Improve support for MSI Claw and OneXPlayer device variants
- Improve support for devices with external or no Wi-Fi adapters
- Fixed an infrequent bug where some 3rd party handhelds would have input ignored when held
- Added initial gamepad support for MSI Claw 8 EX AI+
- Added initial gamepad support for Konkr FIT
- Added initial gamepad support for AYANEO Pocket S2
- Updated gamepad support for OneXPlayer Apex with new firmware
Developer
- Updated the Linux kernel to 6.18.42
Source: Valve
