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SteamOS 0.4.5 Beta Released for Steam Frame Alongside a Separate Client Update

SteamOS 0.4.5 Beta targets a Steam Frame VR-streaming chroma regression. Valve’s separate October 6 client update adds Frame fixes and an OpenGL streaming color-accuracy improvement.
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Valve released SteamOS 0.4.5 Beta for Steam Frame on October 6, 2026, with one listed OS change: improved color clarity during VR streaming by fixing a headset chroma regression. Valve also released a separate Steam Client update for Frame the same day; its changes include interface and wireless-configuration fixes, plus a distinct improvement to color accuracy when streaming an OpenGL game.

What changed in SteamOS 0.4.5 Beta?

Valve’s Steam Frame announcement page lists SteamOS 0.4.5 Beta as an update for the Steam Frame Beta channel. Valve says the channel includes features still being tested. The version-specific release note is: “Improved color clarity during VR streaming (fixed headset chroma regression).”

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This is a targeted chroma fix, not a stated upgrade to resolution, latency, frame rate, or overall visual quality. Valve’s note does not provide measurements or testing conditions.

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How to get the Steam Frame beta update

  1. On Steam Frame, open Settings > System > System Update Channel.
  2. Choose the Beta channel to opt in, then check for and install the available update through the system update controls.

Because this is beta-channel software, its features are still being tested.

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What changed in the separate Steam Client update for Frame?

Valve’s October 6 announcement labels this as a Steam Client update for Frame, separate from SteamOS 0.4.5. Valve says the client update was released for all users. Its listed changes are:

  • Steam Frame: Settings now shows the user-visible serial number; the Guided Tour appears for any new account that logs in; the Wireless Adapter manual-configuration Wi-Fi channel list is corrected across regions; and the Streaming Menu shows spectator status with a button to stop spectating.
  • General client fixes: fixes for recording and screenshot filters, notification text layout, flickering in the header and footer when waking from sleep, and a crash affecting some native Linux games.
  • Remote Play: improved color accuracy when streaming an OpenGL game.

The Remote Play note concerns OpenGL game streaming and belongs to the client update. It is distinct from the SteamOS 0.4.5 headset chroma fix for VR streaming.

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Which October 6 update applies to which change?

Release What it changes Status
SteamOS 0.4.5 Beta VR-streaming color clarity; fixes a headset chroma regression. Steam Frame Beta channel; features still being tested.
Steam Client update for Frame Frame interface and Wireless Adapter changes, general client fixes, and improved color accuracy when streaming an OpenGL game. Released for all users, according to Valve’s announcement.

Both announcements mention color, but they describe separate fixes in different software components and streaming contexts.

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What about the earlier battery-life and Error 17 notes?

Valve’s previous SteamOS 0.4 release notes attribute an “up to 12%” battery-lifetime improvement during streaming and local gameplay to an earlier 0.4 release, not version 0.4.5. Valve qualifies that figure as varying with framerate and content. It should not be treated as a new benefit of the October 6 beta.

Earlier notes also covered VR-streaming reliability and Error 17. They said PC users should opt into SteamVR 2.18.2 or later to reduce Error 17 connection issues; SteamVR 2.18.2 was on the beta branch at the time of that earlier release. This is historical guidance, not a newly stated SteamOS 0.4.5 requirement.

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