Valve Ships October 9 Steam Client Beta With Remote Play Fixes
The beta adds HEVC fallback to H.264, disables HDR on OLED Steam Deck streaming, and switches Steam Frame controllers to gamepad input in VR.
Valve released the Steam Client Beta update dated October 9, rolling out a set of fixes for Remote Play, Steam Input and Big Picture Mode. The build is available now for users who opt into the beta channel, according to gamingonlinux.com.
The Remote Play changes address a stream launch failure that occurred when the host client had a cloud conflict. Streams will now automatically fall back to H.264 when HEVC is not available.
In a separate display change, HDR is disabled when streaming to the OLED Steam Deck. Vulkan video decoding is also enabled for users running the SteamRT3C Linux beta.
Steam Frame and controller input
Steam Frame controllers now use gamepad input by default in VR games that do not support VR inputs, which removes the need for per-game workarounds in titles built around traditional controller schemes.
The SteamRT3C Linux beta the update builds on was first released in March, while Steam Frame CAD files were published more recently alongside an update on reservation waiting times.
Quick answers
What does the October 9 Steam Client Beta fix for Remote Play?
It resolves stream launch failures caused by a cloud conflict on the host client, falls back to H.264 when HEVC is unavailable, and disables HDR when streaming to the OLED Steam Deck.
How do Steam Frame controllers work in VR games without VR input support?
They now use gamepad input by default in those games.