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 credit: Valve)

A new mod gives Steam Deck users access to AMD's FSR 3 frame generation
The mod works by replacing Nvidia's DLSS DLL with AMD's FSR 3.1 DLL
It's now available to download for free via GitHub

Among the catalog of handheld gaming PCs now on the market, the Steam Deck has arguably kept its place as the most popular device. This is mostly due to its affordability and SteamOS's ease of use, despite having weaker processors than the likes of the Asus ROG Ally X and Lenovo Legion Go - but things are about to change performance-wise.

Spotted by Wccftech, a new Decky Loader (a program used for customizing menus and more) plugin called 'Decky Framegen' is now available to download via GitHub, which gives Steam Deck users access to AMD's FSR 3 frame generation feature, Fluid Motion Frames. The plugin replaces Nvidia's DLSS DLL with FSR 3.1's DLL (in the same manner as the DLSS to FSR mod on desktop PCs).

As frame generation has already demonstrated on other handhelds like the ROG Ally X, this has the potential to significantly amplify performance across multiple games on the Steam Deck - this is massive for most users, as plenty of demanding AAA games struggle to push above the 30 to 40 fps range on the Deck (without aggressive upscaling involved). The main handicaps that come with frame-gen tech are ghosting and increased input latency, but this shouldn't be too much of a dealbreaker given the performance gains that come from it.

Those who will benefit the most from this mod are Steam Deck OLED users - the base model has a 60Hz refresh rate, while the OLED model boasts a 90Hz refresh rate, which can take a more noticeable advantage of this unofficial implementation of framerate-boosting software.

Steam Deck on sparkly background — The Steam Deck is great, but there's no denying that it's showing its age a bit now that competition is ramping up. (Image credit: Future / Valve)

Is the Steam Deck finally complete now?

With years of optimization updates and patches under Valve’s belt, the Steam Deck now appears more complete than ever. Thanks to community-based modifications like Decky Loader and its plugins now at users’ disposal, it's hard to argue against Valve's handheld retaining the crown as the best handheld on the market.

There is a wide range of ways for Steam Deck users to make the most of their gaming experiences - Steam’s own ‘Deck Ready’ game verification also helps indicate whether a title is playable on the device, and the handheld-friendly nature of SteamOS is a big plus (especially with Windows 11's recent 24H2 update issues). With the fresh addition of frame generation (albeit unofficially), I think the current Steam Deck is reaching its peak - if it's not there already.

In terms of hardware, there isn't much more to be done - other than a successor that utilizes a new APU - but Valve has already confirmed we won't see that any time soon. Right now, this is one of the best things that could have happened to the Steam Deck, and it's sure to breathe new life into it.