New Steam Deck update addresses big Bluetooth issues

A new Steam Deck update dropped over the weekend and included fixes targeted primarily towards Bluetooth features. This includes now being able to check on the battery life of connected devices, and fixing issues like absent rumble in Bluetooth controllers.

The Steam Deck continues to reign as the best handheld gaming PC despite strong competition on the horizon from the ROG Ally X and Zotac Zone. Frequent small updates help keep Valve‘s handheld ticking along, but this latest one has more to it than meets the eye.

Many of the smaller Steam Deck updates feature only a few lines of fixes and changes, but the update for June 13th contains some substantial fixes and changes, mostly in regard to connected Bluetooth devices. The highlight of these changes is that you can now find a device’s battery information under Settings > Bluetooth and in the Quick Access menu.

You can also toggle a Bluetooth device to allow it to wake your Steam Deck up from sleep when it is activated. These two new features are welcome but are launching alongside a wave of other fixed Bluetooth issues.

Rumble in DualSense controllers is now working as it should while improved gyro-to-mouse behavior is expected when using Bluetooth. When using Nintendo controllers, games may previously have shown incorrect inputs, but this should also now be fixed with this latest update.

Among the non-Bluetooth update content highlights are improvements to the activity feed, a one-time pairing step when connecting to a remote computer, and reducing the network traffic when connecting and reconnecting to your friends list and chat.

The new update is available to download right now from your Steam Deck settings menu and will require a console restart to take effect. Full patch notes can be found on Steam.

These new updates make it easier to use the best PC controllers with Valve’s handheld, which makes playing the best Steam Deck games a lot easier.