RTX On Handheld: GeForce NOW Levels Up Steam Deck With A Native App
Valve's Steam Desk console just became an even more formidable handheld, and it's thanks to NVIDIA. No, there's not an upgraded model with a discrete GeForce GPU tucked inside. However, there is finally a native GeForce NOW app for the Steam Deck (just as promised at CES), which in some respects is the next best thing. It also makes the Steam Deck more competitive with the rash of Windows-based rivals that have entered the handheld marketplace over the past year or so.
Many of those rivals sport more powerful hardware—typically a Ryzen Z1/Z2 Extreme foundation, though MSI has dabbled with Intel's Meteor Lake and Lunar Lake architectures as well (see our Claw 8 AI+ review). The beauty of GeForce NOW, however, is that it offloads most of the grunt work to GeForce-enabled servers in the cloud to turn even low-end hardware into formidable gaming devices.
"The app is now available, and gamers can stream titles on the Steam Deck at up to 4K 60 frames per second—connected to a TV—with HDR10, NVIDIA DLSS 4 and Reflex technologies on supported titles. Plus, members can run these games at settings and performance levels that aren’t possible natively on the Steam Deck," NVIDIA states in a blog post.
What this does is open up access to demanding AAA titles that might have otherwise struggled to run smoothly on the Steam Deck. There are over 2,200 supported games on GeForce NOW, all of which are now easily accessible and playable on the handheld via cloud streaming (provided you own the title, of course). This was possible before now, though it required some fiddling. A native app makes things much easier.
The other perk here is this opens the door to better battery life (up to 50% longer run times, according to NVIDIA), since streamed games aren't hammering local hardware to the same extent.
"Get all the perks of an RTX 4080 GPU owner while using a handheld device, with battery savings and no overheating. Dock it to the TV for a big-screen experience, or game on the go. Unlock a massive game library, better visuals and access to games that wouldn’t run on the handheld before," NVIDIA adds.
As part of the launch, NVIDIA is giving away a couple of prize bundles, as well as free GeForce NOW Ultimate memberships. You can follow the GeForce NOW social media channels on X, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads for more details.
