SteamOS 3.9.6 beta improves frame pacing when the frame limiter is active. In its notes published on November 13, Valve announced improvements for displays with and without variable refresh rate, or VRR, as well as a fix for an FPS drop in a specific situation.
The update is intended for the Beta and Preview channels and includes features that are still being tested. It also fixes issues affecting Remote Play, certain RPG Maker games and the touchscreen.
SteamOS 3.9.6 fixes a drop from 30 to 24 FPS
Frame pacing describes how frames are distributed over time: even when a game runs at a given number of frames per second, uneven intervals can make motion look less smooth. Valve says it has improved frame pacing when the frame limiter is used, with or without VRR.
Valve describes a specific case without VRR: a game running at 30 FPS could drop to 24 FPS when the frame limit was set to 60 FPS on a 120 Hz display. SteamOS 3.9.6 fixes this behavior. Valve has not announced a general FPS increase.
On fixed-refresh-rate displays, the update also reduces missed frames when the processor is slow to wake from a deep idle state.
How to access the SteamOS 3.9.6 beta
To select an update channel, Valve points users to Settings > System > System Update Channel. SteamOS 3.9.6 is available on the Beta and Preview channels.
The choice of channel matters: some features in this release are still being tested. Players who want to try the fixes will need to use a test version.
Remote Play, RPG Maker and touchscreen fixes
SteamOS 3.9.6 fixes a green screen in Steam Remote Play on NVIDIA GPUs. The update also addresses a black screen in RPG Maker games that use Fullscreen++, including Waste Walkers, which Valve cites as an example.
Another fix concerns the touchscreen: after a two-finger tap, the left mouse button could remain stuck.
The notes also cover changes since the stable SteamOS 3.8 release and distinguish additions made since earlier SteamOS 3.9 Preview releases. Reduced Steam Deck idle power consumption when no audio is playing appears in these cumulative notes, without being presented as a change specific to 3.9.6.
In the same notes, Valve says preliminary hibernation support remains disabled on Steam Deck because of an unresolved driver issue.
See also the Steam Deck SteamOS 3.9.6 page.
See also the Steam Deck page.
