In a nutshell: Valve has finally released audio drivers for Windows installations on the Steam Deck. Up to this point, the only way to extract sound from a console running Windows was to use USB-C or Bluetooth as neither the speakers nor the 3.5mm audio jack worked.

Valve launched an initial set of Windows drivers for the Steam Deck handheld in early March. These drivers lacked firmware Trusted Platform Module (fTPM) support, however, which limited installations to Windows 10 only. Valve was also waiting for AMD to get the audio drivers ready. Windows 11 support would arrive later that month.

It's technically possible to dual-boot SteamOS and Windows, but Valve hasn't yet released a dual-boot wizard to enable this functionality. For now, you'll have to wipe your Steam Deck in order to install Windows or maintain two separate storage drives (NVMe models) and swap them out as needed.

Hi all, we're happy to share that audio drivers are now available for Windows 10 and Windows 11 on Steam Deck! For instructions and more details, please visit the following link: https://t.co/zjU2Ubr8l0

— Steam Deck (@OnDeck) May 13, 2022

The Steam Deck is arguably the most sought-after commodity in gaming. The portable gaming system was announced last summer but missed its scheduled December 2021 launch date by two months.

Pricing starts at $399 for a model with eMMC 64GB of storage directly from Valve, but new order availability currently sits at October 2022 or later. Many have turned to third-party marketplaces like eBay to score a system sooner where you'll pay a significant premium over retail.