Handheld Companion – Release Notes

0.31.3.1 - First Impressions: New Welcome Flow and UI Polish

Version 0.31.3.1 might look modest on paper, but it's one of the more foundational builds we've shipped in a while. The headline is a brand new Welcome Window that walks new users through device detection, OEM software considerations, and initial setup defaults, something inspired by Winhanced software, that's been missing for a long time and should make that critical first impression much smoother.

Alongside it, this build delivers a major UI/UX overhaul focused on visual consistency, higher-resolution device visuals, easier library navigation and faster artwork rendering. And while we're always sad to see anyone go, we've implemented a proper OEM software and controller driver stack restoration process for anyone who decides to uninstall HC.

Highlights

• New Welcome Window First-time users are now guided through a short setup flow: detecting their device and hardware capabilities, reviewing OEM software that might conflict with HC, and confirming sensible defaults for startup behavior, sleep handling, notifications, and telemetry. Everything shown can still be changed later from Settings, but this gives new users a much clearer starting point than being dropped straight into the app.
• Major UI/UX overhaul This build brings sweeping visual consistency improvements — uniform font sizes, spacing, and colors across the app — along with all device visuals reworked into high definition, a reworked hotkey display, background emulated controller artwork on the controller and layout pages, and faster-loading profile artworks.
• Clean uninstall: OEM and driver stack restoration HC now properly restores any OEM software and controller driver stacks it modified when it's uninstalled, leaving your system back the way it was before HC was installed.
• Library collections for easier navigation The Library now supports custom collections, letting you group games however makes sense to you, by genre, platform, mood, whatever. Collections sit alongside the existing platform-based categories (Microsoft, Steam, Ubisoft, GOG, BattleNet, EA, etc).

What Changed

Fixes

• Fixed external display detection occasionally failing for plug behavior.
• Fixed high-resolution artworks not downloading for newly added library games.
• Fixed profile manager handling of platform-specific profiles with no path and no launch string.
• Fixed non-focusable UI elements retaining visual focus after a mouse click.
• Fixed inverted DoNothing and AlwaysConnect behavior for controller plug behavior.
• Fixed a regression in Steam Deck lizard mode checking over time.

UI/UX

• Improved profile artwork loading logic for faster rendering.
• Major UI overhaul with uniform font sizes, styles, spacing, and colors.
• Reworked hotkey display logic.
• Reworked all device visuals into high definition.
• Added background emulated controller artwork to the controller and layout pages.
• Added a controller mode combobox to the profile application toast.

New features

• Implemented Welcome Window for first-time setup and onboarding.
• Implemented OEM software and controller driver stack restoration on uninstall.
• Implemented Library collections for custom game grouping and navigation.

Other improvements

• Updated SDL3 to 3.4.10 (pre Steam Controller V2 support).
• Improved manager boot sequence.
• Improved GoBackToSleep with customizable triggers (power button, fingerprint read, gamepad input, charger connection).

Full Changelog: 0.30.1.0...0.31.3.1