News - Client Updates

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Aug 28, 2018

Client Update - Valve

A new steam client has been released and is being automatically downloaded.

Update: In order to address an issue with the initial build of this release it was released a second time. If you updated quickly after the first update you may see a second update for this release.

General

Windows users on 64bit operating systems now get a 64bit steamwebhelper.exe process
Fixed one case where the built-in browser could crash during initialization or video playback
Fixed some cases users would not auto-login to Steam web pages inside the Steam Client
Fixed cases where text was blurry in web/chat/friends windows for users with nVidia FXAA forced on for Steam or system wide
Fixed Steam UI freezing when system accent color is changed on Windows
Fixed querying for available disk space in macOS when running on an APFS filesystem
Fixed Steam shortcut handling when using non-US keyboard layouts on macOS
Ensure DRM support is available on playback of a Steam Video after first launch of a new Steam client install

New Steam Chat

Fix for a bug where receiving a new message from a user who you don’t have a chat window open with could undo cursor/mouse locking to the game window in some games. The game didn’t actually lose focus, but your mouse might suddenly move out of the game window and cause you to click on another app or a second monitor and then change focus when this would occur.
Fixed some cases the friends list or chat dialogs would take focus on startup, after a crash, or after a reload in an unintended manner
Fixed the friends list showing when Steam was launched from a games desktop shortcut that should not show Steam related UI
Fixed users with certain sound cards or audio drivers on Windows sounding staticky or stuttery after a little while in Voice Chat
Fixed several cases of steamwebhelper.exe related crashes
Rich presence features (View Game Info, Join Game, Launch Game) now work on macOS and Linux
Added Command-Left/Right text entry shortcuts and Command-[Shift]-Z undo/redo shortcuts on macOS
Invite to Watch now appears in friends’ context menus when the user is running a non-Steam game
Fixed old chat UI appearing in the overlay when trying to chat from inside a game (like /w in Dota)
Fixed clicking on an achievement notification bringing up the old friends list UI
Outgoing friend invitations are now shown in the invitations tab on the friends list
Fixed taskbar jumplist entries for Online, Away, and Invisible not working if the user was in offline mode.

Steam Input

Improved automatic gyro drift compensation, it should now correct actual drift quickly but also be much less likely to erroneously correct desired user movement
Prevent Switch controllers already connected over Bluetooth from double connecting over USB and auto-disconnect USB connection if controller is connected over Bluetooth
Fixed jumpy gyro mouse movement for Switch controllers
Fixed phantom Xbox 360 controller on Mac OS X
Fixed a bug where dismissing the on-screen keyboard on the desktop would snap focus onto the Steam client window

Steam Link

Added support for touch control on the Steam Link app: https://steamcommunity.com/app/353380/discussions/4/1735462352489233412/

Big Picture

Fixed Big Picture mode closing when a game launcher exited during an NVIDIA GameStream session
Cancel Steam Link authorization if Big Picture is closed without responding to the dialog
Fix missing strings in settings dialog for 1440p and 2160p streaming resolution
Fixed a problem where the "Login" button in Big Picture would be unresponsive in some situations

Linux

Added preliminary support for the new Steam Play Beta; refer to this announcement for more information

Aug 9, 2018

Steam Client Update Released

Client Update - Valve

A new steam client has been released and is being automatically downloaded.

General

Added support for shipping different binaries to 64bit vs 32bit operating systems in Steam self-updater. This support is being added in preparation for future updates.

Steam Link

Fixed doubled PS4 controller input from Steam Link hardware

Aug 1, 2018

Steam Client Update Released

Client Update - Valve

A new steam client has been released and is being automatically downloaded.

Update: In order to address an issue with the initial build of this release it was released a second time an hour after the initial update. If you updated quickly after the first update you may see a second update for this release.

Friends & Chat

Fixed displaying invisible persona state in the top right of Steam Client’s main window. Previously displayed online or in-game even though, to other users, the client was offline.
Added 'Do Not Disturb' mode. When selected, the user will receive no notifications from friends or groups, incoming chat messages will not open new chat windows or play an incoming message sound.
Added 'Offline' as a selectable status. This will log the user's client out of Steam Friends and the user will appear as offline to their friends.
Added the option to not automatically log into Steam Friends at Steam Client startup.
Fix for inadvertently opening the friends list at client start even though it was previously closed when Steam was shutdown.
“Remember my open chats” setting no longer applies when Steam loads at machine start
Updated the Windows taskbar online status options to match the new chat options
In-Game voice settings, which only impact a handful of Steamworks games using old Steam Voice APIs, are now only shown in the overlay for games that use them, to avoid confusion with new chat voice settings. Find friends and chat voice settings from the gear icon in the top right of the Friends List.
Users who are not using new friends chat will not see the option to initiate voice chats in one-on-one chats, the old voice chat system is no longer available.
Fixed “Friends & Chat” button not opening anything when Big Picture mode or SteamVR was active.

General

Warn users when certain Windows compatibility mode flags are set on the Steam executable, and disable GPU accelerated rendering in web views by default if the user continues to run with those flags.
Fixed a bug where Steam could try to open “about:blank” in your system browser leading to a confusing “what do you want to open this with?” dialog.

macOS

Fixed incorrect version of SDL included in last release that was preventing some games from starting properly.

Overlay

Fixed validation errors with Direct3D 12 applications on Windows

Steam Input

Fix an issue with updating firmware on the Steam Controller Dongle.
Re-enable PS4/Switch Pro Controllers as generic controllers (no gyro/touchpad) when connected to a Steam Link App device that doesn’t allow full featured support.
Disable anti-drift correction updates if a controller has had a successful software calibration performed.

Jul 24, 2018

Steam Client Update Released

Client Update - Valve

A new steam client has been released and is being automatically downloaded.

General

Added new friends list, chat and voice chat features
Added icon and optional balloon for announcing new Steam Features and Blog Updates
Added banner announcing future end of support for Windows XP and Vista
Enabled GPU acceleration in web views by default
Added option to disable GPU acceleration in web views in Settings->Interface
Added support for binding F13-F24 as hotkey buttons
Improved IME handling for web pages shown in Steam client and Steam overlay

macOS

Updated window style to match version of macOS Steam is running on
Fixed Steam overlay not displaying in certain games
Added support for binding ‘=', Clear and mouse buttons as hotkey buttons
Corrects streaming blank video to Steam Link.
Improved rendering speed of Steam windows
Fixed streaming from multi-monitor systems where the window being streamed is located on a secondary monitor

Linux

Added the ability to import Windows icons for games with no Linux icons; will only take effect after reinstalling the game and recreating the desktop and launcher shortcuts
Fixed an issue where the system might become temporarily unresponsive after exiting the client due to events accruing in the window system
Updated Steam Linux Runtime with the latest versions of the SDL libraries
Fixed a problem where the screensaver would always be disabled if Steam was running
Fixed an issue where Steam could crash when running Steamworks-enabled games, or where Steamworks functionality wouldn't work properly in the game.
Fixed an issue where CS:GO and Dota 2 matchmaking would not function properly.

Steam Input

Added support for PS3 Controllers as a separate controller type. Does not include support for the DS3 gyro or analog face buttons. If you’re using a DS3 on Windows you’ll have to obtain the Sony driver through PlayStation Now. Note: counterfeit Dualshock 3 Controllers will not work through this driver.
Added a controller type drop down menu to the “Define Layout” screen for uploading user provided layouts of unrecognized controllers. If your controller is currently being treated as generic controller, but is actually a PlayStation, Nintendo, or retro controller you can upload your layouts and help us improve support for your device.
Added support for limited dynamic calibration of Switch Pro controller joysticks
Added support for wired USB controllers connected to the Steam Link Android app
Added support for over 100 new generic gamepads, 40 PS3 controllers, and 15 Xbox controllers
Added support for the HoriPad Mini4, Level Up Cobra, Mad Catz FightStick TE 2, and Mad Catz FightStick TE 2+ PS4 Controllers
Added support for the HORI Pokken Tournament DX Pro Switch Controller
Enabled software calibration and automatic drift correction of gyro for all PS4 controllers
Added the ability to send left/right shift as separate keys on Windows
Added the ability to revert locally defined layouts in the "Define Layout" menu
Changed the “Define Layout” screen to allow NES controllers and other controllers without X and Y buttons to define layouts.

Jun 1, 2018

Steam Client Update Released

Client Update - Valve

A new steam client has been released and is being automatically downloaded.

June 8th: This update has been re-released with additional fixes to Steam Link and controller functionality on macOS.

General

Fixed back/forward buttons in the main steam window and all web views

Windows

Fixed launch focus issues with some fullscreen games on Windows build 1803

Steam Input

Fixed a case on macOS where the focused game window would not be detected. Note: for some games you may start getting the recommended configuration instead of the desktop configuration. Not all games on macOS support Steam Input gamepads so if your controller stops working please try changing your configuration to mouse/kb.
Added a new Steam Controller Bluetooth firmware image. A second Bluetooth pairing slot and been added and the startup gestures for switching slots in both Bluetooth and Wireless Receiver modes have been simplified. To swap which device you want to connect to use Steam+Back in Wireless Receiver Mode and Steam+Start in Bluetooth mode. To obtain the FW update you’ll need to plug into usb and follow the same process as with the previous release.
Momentum velocity has been tweaked to be more accurate and decelerate more smoothly
Fixed a bug which could cause the right stick to lose input on certain controller types in native Steam Input applications (such as camera controls in Prey)
Fixed an issue with PS4 controllers that caused them to stop working with DirectInput after a few minutes
Additional fixes for opted out PS4 Controllers
Fixed Nintendo Switch Pro Controller detection and initialization on Windows 7
Added note to Switch configuration description clarifying possible issues with using controllers outside of Steam
Improved Switch Pro functionality in Big Picture when Switch configuration support is disabled
Fixed incorrect controller slot LED being lit on Switch Pro controller when plugging in to USB while already connected via Bluetooth

In-Home Streaming

Fixed black screen when hardware encoding with iGPU and streaming to Android devices
Fixed wireless Steam Controllers showing up as unknown controllers in Big Picture
Fixed bad input and disconnects from Switch Pro controllers connected via Steam Link - vibration was causing disconnects and has been temporarily disabled.

May 16, 2018

Steam Client Update Released

Client Update - Valve

A new steam client has been released and is being automatically downloaded.

Update: This client was released again on May 18 to address some issues with controller input.

General

Updated internal web views to Chromium v65.0.3325.181
Improved responsiveness of the Steam client window when navigating the Library pane
Fixed some cases where friend tags could disappear until a client restart
Fixed several crash bugs found via automated crash reporting

Big Picture

Fixed an issue where multiple button presses were required to back out of a Settings page
Fixed the clock bug which caused the time to appear truncated on som...

In-Game Overlay

Fixed an issue which caused the web browser to stop working in certain games
Fixed screenshots for games built with Unreal Engine 4 in OpenGL mode
Fixed some OpenGL API errors triggered by the Steam In-Game Overlay
Fixed a crash in some Vulkan apps when hiding the overlay or resizing windows

Steam Input

Enabled the Steam Controller BLE FW Update, for more information visit here: https://steamcommunity.com/games/353370/announcements/detail/2503317299191608387
Added Switch Pro Controller Support – More info can be found here: https://steamcommunity.com/games/353370/announcements/detail/1648757912601251834
Of note with Switch Pro bindings – you should use the global Nintendo Layout setting to determine your preferred layout rather than manually moving the face buttons around. This will make it easier to share configurations with other users who prefer a reversed A/B layout.
Added support for the NACON Revolution Pro 2 PS4 controller
Modified Steam Input to take hardware update rate of specific controllers into account when checking for input. Other improvements to the polling loop also reduce jitter and improve mouse emulation.
PS4 Controllers which are plugged in while already being connected wirelessly will now be ignored.
Fixed input lag when starting Big Picture or starting streaming
Fixed a second controller showing up briefly in games when hot-plugging a controller
Changed the layout of the Polish On-screen Keyboard based on user feedback - the Polish Programmer’s keyboard layout is now used instead of the standard Polish keyboard.
Fixed areas of the Steam Input Configurator where the length of the Polish localized text would cause settings to overflow past the visible portion of the screen.
Updated the Steam Input API button glyph images
Improved behavior of joystick auto-calibration
Improved handling of controller configuration when the Steam Overlay is disabled
Improved software gyro drift correction
Added Gyro Enable Button Toggle. The button assigned to enable the gyro can now act as a toggle to the state rather than a hold.
Added button for calibrating gyro only without doing joystick calibration
Fixed a bug where newly added modes didn't always have their default settings set properly to reflect their device or placement
Fixed cached controller configurations sometimes getting used on an incorrect controller when controllers were being removed and added
Fixed Gyro Enable Button dropdown having appropriate options for each controller type
Fixed Generic Direct Input controllers which had no guide button assigned automatically using the Back/Select button

Windows

Fixed corrupted graphics when running on Windows 10 with desktop scaling set to 225% or higher

MacOS

Fixed chat windows not appearing when clicking on the dock icon

Linux

Fixed a bug where trying to re-add old Steam Library folders to the client would fail with an error about the filesystem not being mounted with execute permissions
Fixed a common cause of games getting stuck when bringing up the overlay
Fixed a problem where trying to resize the client window would sometimes snap back to the original size
Fixed incorrect/rainbow colors when streaming from the desktop of a machine running recent Mesa
Fixed low resolution in Big Picture mode due to incorrect video memory detection on Mesa

Steam Link and In-Home Streaming

Added support for connecting to locked Windows computers, as long as Steam is running and you have access to a keyboard.
Added support for interrupting a remote desktop session. Connecting will show the login screen when an RDP session is active, and logging in will disconnect RDP and start streaming the desktop normally.
Removed the splash animation when launching Big Picture via Steam Link
Re-added Restart/Suspend/Shutdown menu options when streaming to Steam Link
Fixed black/green video for games using Unreal Engine 4 in OpenGL mode
Fixed upside-down video for some OpenGL titles
Changed behavior to remain in Big Picture mode if streaming is disconnected while a game is still playing

Mar 21, 2018

Steam Client Update Released

Client Update - Valve

A new steam client has been released and is being automatically downloaded.

Last Updated April 4, 2018 with additional fixes.

General

Reduced CPU usage of Steam when redrawing the UI, such as when the mouse is moved back and forth over part of the Library view
Improved behavior when re-installing from retail discs or backup files, preferring to avoid downloads whenever possible
Fixed an issue where corrupt workshop items could be re-downloaded endlessly
Fix for new Steam Workshop item requests not being downloaded due to the “Only Allow Auto-Updates During Specific Hours” feature being enabled
Fixed an issue where the in-game overlay could crash or become unresponsive in some Vulkan-based games
Improved some cases where chat text was incorrectly treated as a clickable URL when it should not have been
Fixed an issue where games could no longer be launched in offline mode if Steam had previously started or scheduled an update
Fixed a crash when packets in a UDP connection were malformed in a particular way. Thanks to Tom Court from Context Information Security for reporting this issue.
4-4-2018: Fixed bugs preventing workshop items or newly installed DLC from showing up on the downloads page
4-4-2018: Fixed some rare crash-on-start bugs reported via support tickets

Windows

Added high-DPI monitor support when running under Windows 10 with the 2017 Creators Update
Added a checkbox under Settings - Interface to disable high-DPI scaling (applies to Win10 only)
Added window transition animations when opening, closing, or minimizing Steam windows
Improved taskbar handling of Steam windows on multi-monitor systems
Added detection and support for exFAT-formatted drives
4-4-2018: Fixed low-quality library grid images under Windows 8.1 and previous operating systems
4-4-2018: Fixed incorrect mouse cursors when resizing windows in the overlay

macOS

Added support for turning off or restarting the system from Big Picture mode
Improved native OS integration of Steam client windows. For example, Steam windows can now be dragged up past the menu bar to trigger the Spaces UI.
Improved reliability of the Steam Input and Streaming Audio drivers for macOS
Added a custom kernel driver for Sony DS4 controllers which allows use with Steam Input when connected over Bluetooth
Improved checks for case-sensitive APFS file systems. The Steam client only supports case-insensitive file systems on macOS, and will continue to warn users when running with an incompatible file system
4-4-2018: Added support for restoring Steam Controller firmware when the controller has gone into recovery mode

Linux

Added a 2X-scaling mode with high-res text and graphics when running the Steam client in desktop mode on 4k-resolution monitors. You can also force 2X scaling with the "GDK_SCALE=2" environment variable, or disable it with "GDK_SCALE=1".
Added a checkbox under Settings - Interface to disable 2X scaling regardless of environment variables.
Improved window-resizing interactions with the window manager
Fixed an issue where the Steam client could prevent some desktop sessions from shutting down

Big Picture

Fixed a browser hang when a web page transitions to or from full-screen mode

Steam Input

Added "Exit Application" controller action. When this action is used within a game, it will prompt the user if they actually want to quit and if confirmed will immediately close the application.
Added Chorded Press Activator. The Chorded Press Activator requires another input to be active for it to fire. This can be combined with other activators and either interrupt them or not based on those activators settings. So a regular press can optionally fire or not based on the chorded state, while a long press can optionally interrupt both for example. Chords require the chord button to be pressed first to activate (like shift or control would on a keyboard).
Added the ability to unique-ify configurations across Xbox and generic controllers. While the actual hardware cannot be differentiated, we treat them as unique controllers based on connection order. So if they elect to use unique configurations, configurations will be applied based on first, second, third, etc. identical controller.
Added hardware Joystick Calibration section in Controller Settings. This allows customizing the controller joystick deadzone on a per-controller, per joystick basis. There is an auto-calibration system that attempts to determine the ideal deadzone, as well as manual sliders for overriding those values. As Xbox controllers can’t be differentiated beyond type, they will only rely on controller order. Different device types, such as an Xbox One vs and Xbox One S controller, will be differentiated.
Made previewing state much more obvious when previewing a configuration.
Opted-In 3rd party controllers will now detect launchers and use a launcher specific configuration that is the same as opted-out controllers.
Improved compatibility with PS4 controller remapping programs – controllers no longer need to be reconnected when starting/exiting those programs. Also users will get a warning dialog if they are launching a game which is using the Steam Input API to support PS4 controllers while a remapper is running.
Fixed a bug where non-Steam games would use a desktop configuration when streaming if the controller wasn’t opted into Steam Input support.
Fixed using non-tracked gamepads in SteamVR’s Big Picture Mode overlay
Fixed Big Picture Mode’s Disk Management screen to accept gamepad/keyboard input on the disk selection dropdown
Fixed stuttering in some games due to excessive rumble updates
Fixed non-Steam games not being able to take screenshots from the controller
Fixed several layer bugs related to change layer bindings
Added a mouse movement threshold when determining if the Guide button is being used for a chord or to hold down the button to bring up the Big Picture menu
Fixed various On-Screen Keyboard issues including Non-Steam Controller dual cursor mode, improved language accent and modifier key support, and input immediately upon invocation
Made Controller Options always visible in the Big Picture Mode library page, even when no controller is currently active; users will be prompted to connect a controller if none can be found.
Fixed navigating multiple action sets via the bumper buttons when previewing a controller configuration
Fixed a case where the Big Picture Mode overlay could receive input when not active
4-4-2018: Allowed the use of touch/radial menus in native-controller-support games without going into Advanced settings
4-4-2018: Added support for displaying Mouse Regions in the Big Picture Mode Controller HUD for all input sources. The regions are either circular or rectangular matching the input source.
4-4-2018: Fixed issues where layers would have incorrect settings or UI in native-controller-support games
4-4-2018: Fixed an issue where an erroneous dialog would prompt the user to migrate configurations

In-Home Streaming

Fixed AMD hardware capture support on R9 200/300 cards

Mar 21, 2018

Steam Client Update Released

Client Update - Valve

A new steam client has been released and is being automatically downloaded.

Last Updated March 26 with additional fixes.

General

Reduced CPU usage of Steam when redrawing the UI, such as when the mouse is moved back and forth over part of the Library view
Improved behavior when re-installing from retail discs or backup files, preferring to avoid downloads whenever possible
Fixed an issue where corrupt workshop items could be re-downloaded endlessly
Fix for new Steam Workshop item requests not being downloaded due to the “Only Allow Auto-Updates During Specific Hours” feature being enabled
Fixed an issue where the in-game overlay could crash or become unresponsive in some Vulkan-based games
Improved some cases where chat text was incorrectly treated as a clickable URL when it should not have been
Fixed an issue where games could no longer be launched in offline mode if Steam had previously started or scheduled an update
Fixed a crash when packets in a UDP connection were malformed in a particular way. Thanks to Tom Court from Context Information Security for reporting this issue.

Windows

Added high-DPI monitor support when running under Windows 10 with the 2017 Creators Update
Added a checkbox under Settings - Interface to disable high-DPI scaling (applies to Win10 only)
Added window transition animations when opening, closing, or minimizing Steam windows
Improved taskbar handling of Steam windows on multi-monitor systems
Added detection and support for exFAT-formatted drives

macOS

Added support for turning off or restarting the system from Big Picture mode
Improved native OS integration of Steam client windows. For example, Steam windows can now be dragged up past the menu bar to trigger the Spaces UI.
Improved reliability of the Steam Input and Streaming Audio drivers for macOS
Added a custom kernel driver for Sony DS4 controllers which allows use with Steam Input when connected over Bluetooth
Improved checks for case-sensitive APFS file systems. The Steam client only supports case-insensitive file systems on macOS, and will continue to warn users when running with an incompatible file system

Linux

Added a 2X-scaling mode with high-res text and graphics when running the Steam client in desktop mode on 4k-resolution monitors. You can also force 2X scaling with the "GDK_SCALE=2" environment variable, or disable it with "GDK_SCALE=1".
Added a checkbox under Settings - Interface to disable 2X scaling regardless of environment variables.
Improved window-resizing interactions with the window manager
Fixed an issue where the Steam client could prevent some desktop sessions from shutting down

Big Picture

Fixed a browser hang when a web page transitions to or from full-screen mode

Steam Input

Added "Exit Application" controller action. When this action is used within a game, it will prompt the user if they actually want to quit and if confirmed will immediately close the application.
Added Chorded Press Activator. The Chorded Press Activator requires another input to be active for it to fire. This can be combined with other activators and either interrupt them or not based on those activators settings. So a regular press can optionally fire or not based on the chorded state, while a long press can optionally interrupt both for example. Chords require the chord button to be pressed first to activate (like shift or control would on a keyboard).
Added the ability to unique-ify configurations across Xbox and generic controllers. While the actual hardware cannot be differentiated, we treat them as unique controllers based on connection order. So if they elect to use unique configurations, configurations will be applied based on first, second, third, etc. identical controller.
Added hardware Joystick Calibration section in Controller Settings. This allows customizing the controller joystick deadzone on a per-controller, per joystick basis. There is an auto-calibration system that attempts to determine the ideal deadzone, as well as manual sliders for overriding those values. As Xbox controllers can’t be differentiated beyond type, they will only rely on controller order. Different device types, such as an Xbox One vs and Xbox One S controller, will be differentiated.
Made previewing state much more obvious when previewing a configuration.
Opted-In 3rd party controllers will now detect launchers and use a launcher specific configuration that is the same as opted-out controllers.
Improved compatibility with PS4 controller remapping programs – controllers no longer need to be reconnected when starting/exiting those programs. Also users will get a warning dialog if they are launching a game which is using the Steam Input API to support PS4 controllers while a remapper is running.
Fixed a bug where non-Steam games would use a desktop configuration when streaming if the controller wasn’t opted into Steam Input support.
Fixed using non-tracked gamepads in SteamVR’s Big Picture Mode overlay
Fixed Big Picture Mode’s Disk Management screen to accept gamepad/keyboard input on the disk selection dropdown
Fixed stuttering in some games due to excessive rumble updates
Fixed non-Steam games not being able to take screenshots from the controller
Fixed several layer bugs related to change layer bindings
Added a mouse movement threshold when determining if the Guide button is being used for a chord or to hold down the button to bring up the Big Picture menu
Fixed various On-Screen Keyboard issues including Non-Steam Controller dual cursor mode, improved language accent and modifier key support, and input immediately upon invocation
Made Controller Options always visible in the Big Picture Mode library page, even when no controller is currently active; users will be prompted to connect a controller if none can be found.
Fixed navigating multiple action sets via the bumper buttons when previewing a controller configuration
Fixed a case where the Big Picture Mode overlay could receive input when not active

In-Home Streaming

Fixed AMD hardware capture support on R9 200/300 cards

Dec 13, 2017

Steam Client Update Released

Client Update - Valve

A new steam client has been released and is being automatically downloaded.

Update: this client was released again on Dec 15 with additional fixes for newly reported issues.

General

New feature: Shader Pre-Caching. Whenever possible, depending on hardware and driver support, Steam can download pre-compiled shaders for your specific video card. This reduces load times and in-game stuttering during the first few launches of OpenGL- and Vulkan-based games on supported hardware. This feature may use a small amount of additional bandwidth as Steam uploads and analyzes a shader usage report after each run of the game. The feature can be disabled via a new entry in the Settings dialog.
Fixed issues with full-screen mode not scaling video content correctly in the Steam Client
Fixed a UI issue that made it difficult to install new games if a previous installation dialog box was still active
Fixed several rare crashes and hangs reported by customers
Updated web views to Chromium v62.0.3202.62

Windows

Fixed an issue where the Windows Mixed Reality for SteamVR drivers would sometimes not install correctly
Fixed a bug where launching a game could cause the primary monitor to switch as if Big Picture mode were active, even though it is not

macOS

Fixed a crash on startup that could occur if a different application was previously set to autostart, and then did not clean up its autostart entry correctly

Linux

Fixed creating desktop and application menu shortcuts
Added detection and a workaround for certain titles that shipped with broken Steamworks SDK libraries

SteamVR

Fixed the occasional brief appearance of a blank console window when starting Steam or launching a VR game.

Steam Input

Changed Per-Game Steam Input opt-out setting to allow Force On or Force Off per game in addition to the global controller type based settings. This means you can turn on configuration for a single game while globally leaving configuration settings off.
Added “Launcher Mode” for controllers which are not opted in to Steam Input Configuration. If we detect that the game is in a launcher, the right stick and right trigger will act as a mouse/trigger respectively, allowing the user to navigate the launch with a controller until they get into the game proper. This feature can be disabled by selecting the “Force Off” option in controller settings for the game in the Big Picture controls.
Added "Always On" binding for setting bindings to take effect when an action set or layer is enabled. This can be used to set up modifier keys that are always active in a layer, changing LED brightness or color based on a set or layer, etc. and can also interact with activators to do start press behavior or turbo, for example.
Added new tab in Configuration Browser for configs exported by your Steam Friends. These configs will now also show up in the community tab even if they would otherwise not qualify to be shown when ranked by votes or playtime. Note that only exported configs will show up, not personal configs.
Added an "Empty Binding" binding action intended for use in layers. Essentially this is a special binding that does absolutely nothing, so bindings can be removed from a layer, as the default state of layering "nothing" means use whatever is below that layer. This special binding can also be detected by radial menus and will eliminate that item from being available in the menu.
Added a “Remove Icon” option to the radial/touch menu icon selection screen.
Added a binding to set LED color according to Xinput slot
Reworked detection of windows requiring Lizard Mode for the Steam Controller. Also added a bindable Lizard Mode toggle action.
Added support for several dozen Xbox-compatible controllers via data collected from users. These controllers are now treated as Xbox controllers instead of generic gamepads.
Added support for several PS4 controllers: HORI TAC4, HORI TAC PRO, Hitbox PS4 Arcade Stick, and Venom PS4 Arcade Stick
Fixed a configuration UI error where native actions could be selected in non-native games
Fixed a bug where source-specific default changes weren't propagated correctly through layers
Fixed game actions buttons being able to navigate off of their own list of actions
Fixed some issues with typing accented and other non-english characters via the On-Screen Keyboard
Fixed on-screen keyboard becoming stuck on-screen when controller is disconnected
Fixed many UI focus and flow issues when configuring or personalizing a controller
Fixed a bug with the dialog for first time config selection when a game doesn’t have a recommended config.
Fixed several save bugs involving configurations with deleted action sets
Fixed a bug where new developer configurations would show no buttons available to be bound.
Fixed a bug where layers of native mode types could stack incorrectly with other layers
Fixed Big Picture configurations not accepting changes to the Face Button assignments
Fixed Big Picture Parental PIN Pad not responding properly to controller input.

Dec 13, 2017

Steam Client Update Released

Client Update - Valve

A new steam client has been released and is being automatically downloaded.

Update: this client was released again on Dec 15 with additional fixes for newly reported issues.

General

New feature: Shader Pre-Caching. Whenever possible, depending on hardware and driver support, Steam can download pre-compiled shaders for your specific video card. This reduces load times and in-game stuttering during the first few launches of OpenGL- and Vulkan-based games on supported hardware. This feature may use a small amount of additional bandwidth as Steam uploads and analyzes a shader usage report after each run of the game. The feature can be disabled via a new entry in the Settings dialog.
Fixed issues with full-screen mode not scaling video content correctly in the Steam Client
Fixed a UI issue that made it difficult to install new games if a previous installation dialog box was still active
Fixed several rare crashes and hangs reported by customers
Updated web views to Chromium v62.0.3202.62

Windows

Fixed an issue where the Windows Mixed Reality for SteamVR drivers would sometimes not install correctly
Fixed a bug where launching a game could cause the primary monitor to switch as if Big Picture mode were active, even though it is not

macOS

Fixed a crash on startup that could occur if a different application was previously set to autostart, and then did not clean up its autostart entry correctly

Linux

Fixed creating desktop and application menu shortcuts
Added detection and a workaround for certain titles that shipped with broken Steamworks SDK libraries

SteamVR

Fixed the occasional brief appearance of a blank console window when starting Steam or launching a VR game.

Steam Input

Changed Per-Game Steam Input opt-out setting to allow Force On or Force Off per game in addition to the global controller type based settings. This means you can turn on configuration for a single game while globally leaving configuration settings off.
Added “Launcher Mode” for controllers which are not opted in to Steam Input Configuration. If we detect that the game is in a launcher, the right stick and right trigger will act as a mouse/trigger respectively, allowing the user to navigate the launch with a controller until they get into the game proper. This feature can be disabled by selecting the “Force Off” option in controller settings for the game in the Big Picture controls.
Added "Always On" binding for setting bindings to take effect when an action set or layer is enabled. This can be used to set up modifier keys that are always active in a layer, changing LED brightness or color based on a set or layer, etc. and can also interact with activators to do start press behavior or turbo, for example.
Added new tab in Configuration Browser for configs exported by your Steam Friends. These configs will now also show up in the community tab even if they would otherwise not qualify to be shown when ranked by votes or playtime. Note that only exported configs will show up, not personal configs.
Added an "Empty Binding" binding action intended for use in layers. Essentially this is a special binding that does absolutely nothing, so bindings can be removed from a layer, as the default state of layering "nothing" means use whatever is below that layer. This special binding can also be detected by radial menus and will eliminate that item from being available in the menu.
Added a “Remove Icon” option to the radial/touch menu icon selection screen.
Added a binding to set LED color according to Xinput slot
Reworked detection of windows requiring Lizard Mode for the Steam Controller. Also added a bindable Lizard Mode toggle action.
Added support for several dozen Xbox-compatible controllers via data collected from users. These controllers are now treated as Xbox controllers instead of generic gamepads.
Added support for several PS4 controllers: HORI TAC4, HORI TAC PRO, Hitbox PS4 Arcade Stick, and Venom PS4 Arcade Stick
Fixed a configuration UI error where native actions could be selected in non-native games
Fixed a bug where source-specific default changes weren't propagated correctly through layers
Fixed game actions buttons being able to navigate off of their own list of actions
Fixed some issues with typing accented and other non-english characters via the On-Screen Keyboard
Fixed on-screen keyboard becoming stuck on-screen when controller is disconnected
Fixed many UI focus and flow issues when configuring or personalizing a controller
Fixed a bug with the dialog for first time config selection when a game doesn’t have a recommended config.
Fixed several save bugs involving configurations with deleted action sets
Fixed a bug where new developer configurations would show no buttons available to be bound.
Fixed a bug where layers of native mode types could stack incorrectly with other layers
Fixed Big Picture configurations not accepting changes to the Face Button assignments
Fixed Big Picture Parental PIN Pad not responding properly to controller input.

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