Valve has released the SteamOS 3.9.2 beta, fixing Steam Machine remote streaming and issues with certain games running on Intel Panther Lake processors, while adding preliminary brightness control support for the Lenovo Legion Go 2. SteamOS 3.9 has also moved from the preview channel to the beta channel.
Previously, Steam Remote Play might not work if a Steam Machine was started without an external monitor connected. Version 3.9.2 fixes this issue, benefiting users who primarily stream games from other devices. The update also corrects an issue where frame rate limits were incorrectly applied when streaming VR games from a Steam Machine to a Steam Frame.
Another fix involves Variable Refresh Rate (VRR): the "Disable Frame Rate Limit" toggle previously did not work correctly when VRR was enabled, but now behaves as expected.
In terms of game compatibility, the update fixes issues where games like Elden Ring and Dark Souls III failed to run on recent Intel Panther Lake processors. Brightness control for the Legion Go 2 is still in preliminary support.
3.9.2 also fixes slower boot times, occasional unintended wake-ups from suspend on Steam Machines, and issues with virtual keyboards being unavailable in certain languages in Game Mode, which were introduced in the earlier 3.9 preview. Issues such as initial connection failures to hidden Wi-Fi networks and excessive fan speeds on some ASUS devices after waking from sleep are also included in this round of fixes.
Changes to SteamOS 3.9 listed alongside this beta update include updates to the Arch Linux base system, an upgrade of the desktop mode from Plasma 6.4.3 to 6.7.3, and adjustments to Linux kernel version 7.2. This version also fixes system crashes when launching Forza Horizon 6 on the Legion Go 2, and adds preliminary suspend support not yet available in Game Mode.