Valve warms up for the Steam Machine with a client update bristling with gamepad fixes and, oh, the betas UI is fancier now if you’re into that

We are an alarming way into 2026 already, and you know what that means: the precipitous decline of all of our institutions and the environment. Also, the soonish release of the Steam Machine, which will probably make all that other stuff go down a lot easier.

The Steam Machine’s actual release date isn’t known yet, but Valve’s said it wants to get its living-room Linux box out in early 2026, so I reckon it’s reasonable to say it’s due out in the next few months. Anyway, this is all to say that I think the most recent update to the Steam client—itself essentially a packaging of a bunch of fixes that have been pushed to Steam’s beta branch recently—is, stealthily, very much about prepping for Valve’s black box.

I say this because Steam’s January 21 client update practically vibrates with controller fixes and updates. Support for the Nintendo Switch 2 wired controller has been re-enabled, there are new settings for joystick responses, fixes for gyro aiming, and plenty else besides (find the full list down below).

You ask me, that looks like Valve getting its input ducks in a row ahead of the release of its living room box, though it’s far from the only set of fixes wrapped up in this latest update. You can now filter your games by selected store tags (you know, stuff like ‘psychological horror’ and ‘dwarf’ you see on game pages) in the client, the betas UI has been made a bit slicker and more easily parseable, and various crashes have been kiboshed.

Oh, and rejoice, if you’re trying to play Mafia 2 Classic or Football Manager 2012, then they’ll no longer exit at random mid-game.

(Image credit: Valve)

My personal favourite change is, ah, utterly meaningless, but is one of those things that has itched my brain for a good while now. If you connect a gamepad while you’re in Steam Big Picture mode, then the glyphs displayed on-screen will now switch from keyboard to controller immediately, rather than waiting for you to make an input.

You either empathise with my glee at this entirely or think I am ridiculous. You would be correct in either instance.

Anyhow, here’s the full list of changes:

General

Added display of selected store tags to app filter/collection dialog.Reworked the Application Properties -> Betas UI.Fixed certain games using Steam DRM exiting unexpectedly, including Mafia II (Classic) and Football Manager 2012.Fixed missing registry key error when running Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead.Fixed Steam client crash when Astrill VPN is installed.Fixed crash on Windows when certain force feedback gamepad drivers are installed.Fixed Steam client hang when a Nacon PS4 Compact Controller is connected.Fixed a case where plugging in a controller could trigger a ‘Part of this app has been blocked’ dialog.Fixed error when connecting in multiplayer to Source SDK games.

Library

Advanced filtering now supports filtering by language and accessibility features.

Friends and Chat

Other members of public group chats that you are a member of can no longer send you direct messages by default.You can now toggle the ability for group chat members that you are not friends with to direct message you in the ‘Permissions’ section of each group chat’s settings.Added a ‘report’ option to the right-click context menu on chat window tabs and profile names in the chat log. This is in addition to the existing ‘report’ option on chat messages.

Big Picture Mode

When connecting a new controller, the glyphs in the footer will now update immediately instead of after the first input from the controller.Fixed incorrect controller glyph in library filter selection dialog and filter description.

Remote Play

Fixed resolution being incorrect when streaming to macOS in fullscreen mode.

SteamVR

Fixed some instances of Dashboard UI elements not appearing.

Steam Input

Nintendo Switch 2 wired controller support has been re-enabledGameCube adapters in Wii-U mode are not enabled by default, since opening them is exclusive with other applications. You can launch Steam with -enable-libusb-gamecube if you’d like to enable them.Improved handling of issues when a controller disconnects while the controller configurator is open.Added Gyro to Joystick Deflection option: Drag Center Point. When enabled, moving the controller past its maximum deflection angle will drag the center point with it, so that movement back toward the center will immediately register.Added support for the Razer Raiju V3 Pro.Analog Trigger Output is made available in the Trigger Mode select screen for better discoverability.Joystick Mode settings: Added “Response Axis Style” to “Stick Response Curve” options. The Response Curves can be applied in a “Per Axis” or “Circular” fashion. Previously, Joystick Mode only supported “Per Axis” response curves. Generally, Circular is recommended, and is now default. The option will only appear when relevant – when “Stick Response Curve” is not set to “Linear”.Added toggle for Gyro “Smooth Fine Movements”. This filter was necessary for older IMUs which demonstrated a significant amount of resting signal noise, but has become redundant due to the presence of other user tunable filters. It is defaulted to “Off” except in the case of PS4 DualShock controllers. Find it under Settings, Controller, “Calibration & Advanced Settings”.Fixed changes to sliders on the Gyro calibration page not sticking.Fixed an issue with Steam Input API joystick actions not getting As Joystick options for Trackpad/Gyro.Fixed Hori Steam Controller Gyro behavior over Bluetooth.