Valve has assisted in a brand-new Linux driver release that results in “significant” performance improvements for AMD GPUs on the open-source operating system which will hugely benefit Steam Deck users. 

The open-source MESA 3D graphics for OpenGL, Gallium3D, and Vulkan rendering on Linux has seen major performance improvements for the release of its new 26.0 update. 

With the full patch notes available to view here, the driver update specifically highlights “significant raytracing performance improvements” for AMD GPUs that make use of the RADV driver. 

While this applies to a majority of modern AMD hardware, this also applies to Valve’s own Steam Deck as well as the upcoming Steam Machine. While there have been no performance comparisons between the two versions released online, the new drivers should help Valve’s hardware to remain competitive in ray-tracing intensive games. 

While Valve’s Steam Deck has been a very competent device since its release, it has suffered in titles with compulsory ray-tracing. For example, while the handheld is largely in line with the Nintendo Switch 2 for games like Cyberpunk 2077, it completely loses when compared with Star Wars Outlaws, a game that is designed entirely around ray-tracing. 

It may be a while until the Mesa 26.0 improvements make their way to Valve’s hardware. However, considering the new improvements were designed with the help of Valve’s talented engineers, the improvements will likely come to the platform in the near future. 

These improvements also show that Valve is treating its SteamOS devices as if they were consoles, unlike many bespoke PC gaming handhelds that release without major improvements. Over a console’s lifecycle, a console manufacturer will often release major rendering improvements – such as bringing DirectX12 to Xbox One – or even reduce RAM restraints for developers. Infamously, Sony’s PSP was overclocked from 222Mhz to 333Mhz in a firmware update to be able to run God of War: Chains of Olympus. 

Valve’s Steam Deck has already seen some major improvements over its near 4-year lifespan – how has it been that long already – and it’s clear that Valve is far from done with the handheld. With the device now being used by AAA developers as a hardware target for better PC performance, the handheld has some years left in it yet.