There are people, not including me, who timidly complain that the operating system used by the Steam Deck is still on Plasma 5.27. I fully understand that it's a version of the KDE desktop that works very well, and the system is immutable, so it's normal that we have to wait for certain leaps. One of them is the one that will bring the base to Plasma 6, and that is one of the changes that already have arrived en Steam OS 3.7.0 Preview.
Released on Pi Day — March 14, around 3.14 — SteamOS 3.7.0. XNUMX Preview is now available on the Preview channel from the Steam Deck, so to install it, you'll need to go to settings and select that channel. While it's easy to revert, I don't recommend it. These channels are for testing purposes and are highly likely to show errors.
SteamOS 3.7.0 Preview, what's new
In the highlights, Valve advances that the Arch Linux base has been uploaded, the kernel becomes Linux 6.11, Mesa has been updated, the desktop will be upgraded to plasma 6.2.5 and support has begun to be offered for handheld PCs other than the Steam Deck.
Regarding the last point, it is worth remembering that in May the Lenovo Legion Go S, a handheld PC that will offer a SteamOS option, so it was about time to expand support. No mention has been made of traditional computers, but an ISO is expected to be released that will likely work on these devices as well.
Among the rest of the new features, it stands out that the Surround sounds correct in desktop mode and fixes to a bit of everything, such as support for controllers and input devices, Bluetooth, and even the official Valve dock.
SteamOS 3.7.0 Preview is expected to arrive in the coming months, but no exact date has been provided. It's certain to arrive on the Lenovo Legion Go S in May because it needs it, but it can't be ruled out that Steam Deck users will have to wait a little longer for everything to be more polished.