Note: This update is for the Steam Deck Preview channel, and includes new features that are still being tested. You can opt into this in Settings > System > System Update Channel.
Note on Preview Releases
This is an early Preview build of SteamOS 3.9, and may contain unexpected bugs or stability issues. If you encounter problems, please consider filing a bug on the SteamOS issue tracker.
The following notes are an overview, and may not include all changes since the previous SteamOS 3.8 Stable Release.
General
Updated Arch Linux base
Updated Desktop Mode from Plasma 6.4.3 to Plasma 6.7.3
For more information, see
https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/6/6.7.0/
https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/6/6.6.0/
https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/6/6.5.0/
Misc
Updated the bootloader to improve compatibility with certain motherboards
The Desktop Mode lockscreen is no longer prevented from being explicitly enabled in settings (but remains off by default)
Developer
Switched WiFi backend to wpa_supplicant by default for new installations, improving compatibility with various WiFi networks
Enhanced wpa_supplicant to support fast WiFi reconnect on resume from sleep, previously only available in the iwd backend
Known issue: Existing installations will continue to use iwd unless manually enabled in Developer Settings
Linux kernel rebased on Linux 7.2
Added preliminary support for hibernation, not yet exposed in Game Mode UI
Enhanced Linux kernel hibernation support to enable interrupting hibernate requests and fixed various driver issues
Various scripts and packages have been renamed from `steamos-` to `holo-`, with aliases to the former names where appropriate
Improved support for running SteamOS as a VM guest with accelerated graphics (virtio-gpu, venus)