Three recent Steam Frame changes address different parts of a PC VR session. SteamOS 3.9.2 changes how a Steam Machine host limits VR frames. SteamOS 0.4.1 changes behavior inside the headset. A separate Linux desktop bug still requires owners to start SteamVR on the PC before launching a VR game from Frame.
The distinction matters because updating the headset will not install a host fix, and the Linux workaround is not a new headset update. Both SteamOS releases are opt-in betas. Valve has not announced that VR streaming from Steam Machine to Frame is available, despite naming that path in its release notes.
Steam Machine host: the frame limiter
Valve says SteamOS 3.9.2 fixes a frame limiter that incorrectly applied to VR titles streamed from Steam Machine to Steam Frame. The build also fixes the "Disable Frame Limiter" switch when variable refresh rate is on. These are changes to the SteamOS beta and preview channels used by the host, not to Frame OS.
The same release fixes Steam Remote Play on a Steam Machine that boots without an external display. That fix concerns Remote Play availability on the host; it does not establish that the Steam Machine to Frame VR path has launched. Valve's notes give no launch date for that path or for SteamOS 3.9.2 on the stable channel.
Frame headset: detection and controls
SteamOS 0.4.1 is the Frame beta. Valve says it improves the headset's proximity sensor detection model and fixes a keyboard that failed to appear while streaming. It also fixes unwanted dashboard recentring, adds a Dominant Eye choice for screenshots and spectator view, and includes SteamVR 2.18.1 in the headset OS.
Valve gives no detail about the proximity model's changes. MIXED reports an owner whose headset did not detect it was being worn with glasses, but Valve has not said whether this beta addresses that case. Owners can opt into the Frame beta under Settings, System, System Update Channel.
Linux desktop host: start SteamVR first
The third item is a workaround for a Linux PC host, not a SteamOS release. A user reported that launching a PC VR game from Frame on an Arch Linux desktop did not start SteamVR. The game opened as a flat window while Frame waited for a VR connection. Starting SteamVR on the PC first let the game stream in VR in that user's test.
Valve acknowledged the launch problem in its SteamVR for Linux issue tracker. On September 27, a Valve representative said a fix was still being worked on and closed the issue while promising to reply when it reaches a SteamVR release. Until then, Valve's advice is to launch SteamVR before starting a game. The report describes a Linux desktop; it does not establish the same fault on Windows or Steam Machine.
