Steam client update improves patching speeds, brings support for DualShock 4 custom settings, more

Steam has received a hefty update recently that brought a wide range of features.

Valve has pushed another update to the Steam client for everyone. Steam updates usually bring four or five changes, but this one is pretty big. The patch notes cover everything from general fixes to specific additions for Big Picture mode, In-Home Streaming, SteamVR and more.

Highlights include the ability to use custom bindings with the DualShock 4 controller, the same way you can with a Steam Controller. Patching and download speeds have also been improved on mechanical drives.

See the full list below:

General

• We have recently updated our Privacy Policy to comply with the Privacy Shield Framework as agreed to by the US Department of Commerce and the European Commission. The Privacy Policy notes our compliance with Privacy Shield and provides contact information in the event customers have questions regarding our privacy practices.
• Updated web control to CEF v55.0.2883. This version requires Windows 7 or macOS 10.9 and above, users on older OS versions will continue running the existing version.
• Improved the error message shown when trying to run a 64-bit game on a 32-bit OS.
• Improved download and patching speeds when games are installed to a traditional non-SSD hard drive.
• Improved error messages when unable to launch a game that requires a third-party key.
• Added web links to Steam Support pages in Change Password wizard.
• Fixed crash on launch if you had some malformed music album images.
• Fixed third-party mods showing up as the incorrect game name in the friends lists.

SteamVR

• Improved navigation when using the Steam dashboard with the Oculus Touch controller.

In-Home Streaming

• Added higher bandwidth options for 4K streaming.
• Automatically restart Steam if it crashes while streaming a game.
• Updated to support NvFBC with the latest NVIDIA driver.
• Implemented support for Steam Controller personalization while streaming.
• Fixed audio stuttering and dropout when streaming games to a Mac.
• Fixed game crash in D3D9 games when alt tabbing away from them while streaming.

Overlay

• Added access to the music settings page in the Settings dialog.
• Fixed multiple Web tabs opening in the Web Browser when clicking certain types of links.

Big Picture

• Show game names in the library page when art for the game is slow to load.
• Fixed crash when launching into Big Picture with an active voice chat.
• Fixed game art being clipped on the suggested game row of the main page.

Windows

• Added overlay support for the Windows 10 insider build for 64-bit games

MacOS

• Fixed a bug that caused the client to freeze when generating internal error reports.

Linux

• Fixed issues when installing games onto file systems, such as ZFS, that report abnormally large sector sizes.

Controller

• Added Steam Configurator support for PS4 Dual Shock Controller. Enable in Big Picture settings Add/Test Controller settings. When enabled, PS4 controllers will have access to the same sort of customization/configuration support as Steam Controllers, including native API support. PS4 Controllers using this system can map the trackpad, gyro, buttons, etc. to keyboard, mouse, or x-input outputs and can make use of action sets, touch menus, radial menus, and so forth.
• Added software gyro+accelerometer integration for IMUs without hardware integration. Allows Joystick-Move/D-Pad/Mouse Leaning support for the PS4 gyro input.
• Added New Mode – Joystick Mouse. This is a joystick based mouse control useful for stick based controllers.
• Added controller preference setting for haptics. Haptics can now be globally disabled for a controller or default to the configuration preferences.
• Added support for LED Color setting. Controllers which are capable of setting an LED color can now set this in controller personalization.
• Added LED Brightness/Color controller action binding. The light on the controller can now be changed via a binding. This is useful to mark changes in state such as different action sets or mode shifts, or on start/release press activators for changing while a button is pressed, for example. Light settings are reset to user preference when changing applications/configurations.
• Added software calibration for non-Steam controller based IMUs to counter for gyro drift.
• Modes and bindings which are unavailable to desktop and Big Picture modes will no longer be shown in the configurator.
• Steam now shows a dialog when trying to edit a config for a controller which has opted out of being configurable.
• Unified Radial Menu Button Press/Release behavior on digital inputs such as physical face buttons or d-pads.
• Dismiss quit menu when minimizing or turning off a controller.
• Controllers now support a default Rumble Preference to be On or Off. Games can override this setting or use the default preference for that controller. Setting is available under each controllers Preferences in Controller Settings in Big Picture.
• Individual games can opt out of using Steam Configuration support for the PS4 controller under each game’s Controller Settings. If a game has native PS4 support this allows it to continue to be recognized directly.
• Changed mode shift button activators to be uninterruptible by default.
• Changed Mouse mode Gyro Enable Button to default to Always On when placed on a PS4 Controller.
• Changed Joystick Mouse to default to Wide Response.
• Configuration Browser can now be toggled to show all available controller types rather than the default of the in-use controller type.
• Configurations can now be marked as “Unique” to a specific controller. This configuration will only be applied to that controller for that user's account. By default, all controllers of a specific type will share a configuration unless marked as Unique.
• Fixed a bug where rumble would send to the incorrect controller and could cause controllers to control the incorrect player.
• Fixed default settings not applying properly to mode shifted modes, which could cause certain parameters to be incorrect by default on mode-shifts.
• SteamOS users should update to the latest version of SteamOS, as described here.
• Linux users should consider upgrading your udev rules to allow Steam access to /dev/hidraw*