Nvidia GeForce Now set to get a lot better on Steam Deck – and that's great news for playing AAA games on Valve's handheld

A Valve Steam Deck behind held in a person's hands with the Nvidia logo displayed on the screen.
(Image credit: Shutterstock, Nvidia)

  • Nvidia will add a native GeForce Now app to the Steam Deck
  • Confirmed to be 'later this year' with greater VR headset support
  • Ultimate members will have access to ray tracing, a 4K resolution, and DLSS 3 on the cloud

Nvidia's GeForce Now has been available to Steam Deck users via a script available on its download page, but Team Green will be launching a native app for Valve's handheld later this year.

Announced in a blog post, will expand its support on numerous devices such as the Apple Vision Pro, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S, and notably the Steam Deck, providing access to AAA games in greater graphical fidelity and performance.

Steam Deck owners will have access to ray tracing at a 4K resolution when hooked up to a TV achieving 60 frames per second, thanks to streaming using powerful gaming PCs in the cloud - Steam Deck OLED users will also benefit from HDR10 support across multiple games, along with DLSS 3 for high and stable frame rates and Nvidia Reflex for lower latency (when using the Ultimate membership).

GeForce Now gives you access to over 2,100 games which continues to expand with new additions such as the upcoming Doom: The Dark Ages, so if certain AAA titles can't quite cut it on the Steam Deck (notably games like Cyberpunk 2077), Nvidia's streaming service is your best bet.

Cyberpunk 2077

Wake up Samurai... (Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

Is this a game changer for the Steam Deck?

I've never taken cloud gaming services seriously as I've always opted to run my games locally, along with not wanting to depend on a good internet connection, but this is a positive move from Nvidia I can't ignore. Considering the limitations of Valve's Steam Deck in terms of its processing power for games, there's only so much that can be done by users to balance great graphics and performance (compared to newer handhelds like the Asus ROG Ally X and Lenovo Legion Go).

In this case, Team Green's GeForce Now is the solution for both handheld and docked circumstances - using an Ultimate membership guarantees great performance using ray tracing at higher resolutions. While this can also be beneficial in the case of other handheld gaming PCs, this will prove to be far more impactful for the Steam Deck performance-wise (mind you, in a non-native experience), and the fact that it will be fully supported on SteamOS.

You may also like...

TOPICS
Isaiah Williams
Staff Writer, Computing

Isaiah is a Staff Writer for the Computing channel at TechRadar. He's spent over two years writing about all things tech, specifically games on PC, consoles, and handhelds. He started off at GameRant in 2022 after graduating from Birmingham City University in the same year, before writing at PC Guide which included work on deals articles, reviews, and news on PC products such as GPUs, CPUs, monitors, and more. He spends most of his time finding out about the exciting new features of upcoming GPUs, and is passionate about new game releases on PC, hoping that the ports aren't a complete mess.

Read more
Nvidia GeForce Now
Nvidia GeForce Now is coming to select VR headsets this month, but only Ultimate and Performance members can access RTX and DLSS-supported titles
Steam Deck controls close up
Steam Deck fans, you're in for a good one - AMD's FSR 3 frame generation is now available on Valve's handheld thanks to a new Decky plugin
Image of Cyberpunk 2077 running on RTX 5090 at Nvidia event
I saw Nvidia's new DLSS 4 in action on the RTX 5090 and it's a true game changer – here's why
an image of the Valve Stream Deck running Cyberpunk 2077
How to get Epic Games Store Running on Steam Deck
Nvidia Shield TV
Valve could be working on a rival to the Nvidia Shield streaming box
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4000
I can't believe I'm saying this, but Nvidia, good on you - RTX 4000 series GPUs will receive DLSS Frame Generation enhancements this month
Latest in Steam Deck
Playing games on the Razer Handheld Dock Chroma without an external display.
The Razer Handheld Dock Chroma offers Steam Deck owners a premium design and, of course, plenty of RGB
Steam Deck controls close up
Steam Deck fans, you're in for a good one - AMD's FSR 3 frame generation is now available on Valve's handheld thanks to a new Decky plugin
Steam Deck
No, an AMD Ryzen Z2 Steam Deck isn’t in the works says Valve employee
A Valve Steam Deck behind held in a person's hands with the Nvidia logo displayed on the screen.
Nvidia GeForce Now set to get a lot better on Steam Deck – and that's great news for playing AAA games on Valve's handheld
Steam Deck on sparkly background
Valve is bringing much more than an "incrementally better" update to the Steam Deck - here's what we know about the handheld's huge tech upgrade
Steam Deck on sparkly background
Amazon Prime member? Then hurry and download these 40+ free games on your Steam Deck
Latest in News
Apple iPhone 16 Review
Three iPhone 17 model dummy units appear in a hands-on video leak
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge on display the January 22, 2025 Galaxy Unpacked event.
New Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge may have revealed some key details – including its price
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, March 9 (game #1140)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, March 9 (game #371)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, March 9 (game #637)
WhatsApp
WhatsApp just made its AI impossible to avoid – but at least you can turn it off