Linux 7.1 Fixes Audio For The Steam Deck OLED After Being Broken 2 Years On The Upstream Kernel
The Steam Deck OLED has had non-functional audio on the mainline Linux kernel since late 2023 due to an AMD ASoC audio change merged for Linux 6.8. Valve's downstream Steam OS kernel and other distributions had applied a workaround, but a proper upstream fix was needed. With Linux 7.1-rc2, a DMI quirk authored by Guilherme Piccoli of Igalia has been merged to restore audio support without affecting other devices.
- ▪The Steam Deck OLED lost audio support in the upstream Linux kernel due to an AMD ASoC change in late 2023.
- ▪Valve's Steam OS and other distributions used a downstream patch to maintain audio functionality.
- ▪A DMI quirk fix by Guilherme Piccoli was merged into the mainline kernel and will be included in Linux 7.1-rc2.
- ▪The fix resolves the audio issue without breaking support for other platforms.
- ▪Some games, like Ori and the Blind Forest, require a functional audio device to run properly.
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Linux 7.1 Fixes Audio For The Steam Deck OLED After Being Broken 2 Years On The Upstream Kernel Written by Michael Larabel in Valve on 2 May 2026 at 08:33 PM EDT. Add A Comment It turns out the Steam Deck OLED gaming handheld has not had working audio support with the mainline (upstream) Linux kernel since a change in late 2023 that was merged for Linux 6.8. There was an AMD ASoC audio change that inadvertently broke audio support for the Steam Deck OLED handheld but not affecting the original LCD model. Valve's downstream Steam OS kernel has compensated for this known breakage and other distributions targeting the Steam Deck OLED have carried the patch, but now there is a proper solution upstream ahead of Linux 7.1-rc2.
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