SteamOS 3.9 Preview is now live for users with major changes and updates
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Valve has released the first SteamOS 3.9 Preview for users, and this one brings several major changes compared to the current stable version. The update is currently available through the Preview channel, giving users an early chance to test new features before Valve releases the final version more widely.
What does the latest version offer?
One of the biggest changes is the move to a newer Arch Linux base, along with an update to the Linux kernel. SteamOS 3.9 is now based on Linux 7.2, which brings various improvements and fixes at the system level.
Desktop Mode is also getting a major update. Valve has upgraded KDE Plasma from version 6.4.3 to 6.7.3, bringing several new features and improvements to the desktop experience. The update includes better desktop functionality, along with improvements from the newer Plasma releases.
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Another notable addition is preliminary hibernation support. This allows a system to save its current state to storage and power down, then restore that session later. The feature is still being tested and is not yet available through the Game Mode interface, so Valve still has more work to do before users can easily access it.
Valve has also made several changes to connectivity, as new SteamOS installations will now use wpa_supplicant as the default Wi-Fi backend, which should improve compatibility with certain wireless networks. The system can also reconnect to Wi-Fi more quickly after waking from sleep. Existing installations will continue using the previous backend unless users manually change the setting.
These were some of the changes and improvements introduced in the latest Preview. For the full list, you can check out the official patch notes. That said, SteamOS 3.9 is still an early Preview build, so Valve warns that it may contain bugs and stability problems. But if you still want to try it, you can open Settings > System > System Update Channel on your device and switch to the Preview channel.Â
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