Frame Generation is possible on Steam Deck, but users still crave support for Lossless Scaling
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With the Steam Deck turning three years old soon, users are demanding that the popular upscaling and frame gen tool, Lossless Scaling, be made compatible with the popular Valve handheld. Lossless Scaling currently works only on Windows 10 version 1903 or newer, leaving users longing for a Linux-compatible version for SteamOS.
The topic of AI upscaling and frame generation is gaining a lot of attention right now. NVIDIA recently unveiled their all-new DLSS 4 with multi-frame generation technology for the upcoming RTX 50 series GPUs. Meanwhile, AMD has also made necessary improvements and changes with its upcoming FSR 4 technology.
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Shortly after NVIDIA's announcement, the popular upscaling and frame generation tool Lossless Scaling unlocked a frame generation multiplier of up to 20x as it introduced LSFG 3 for its first anniversary. This $7 alternative to DLSS 4 promises to boost FPS by up to 20 times and shows approximately 24% better end-to-end latency compared to LSFG 2.
One person is willing to pay double for Lossless Scaling on Steam Deck
Looking at the Steam reviews for Lossless Scaling, one in particular caught our attention.
“Please ¡¡PLEASE!! make Lossless Scaling compatible for Linux, Steam Deck need a program like THIS, i’m begging you.
JoseHealer, Steam
I don’t care if you release another program for scratch that cost the double, i’ll buy it twice.”
Another user confirms that the software is not compatible with the Steam Deck. Despite gamers' willingness to pay more for such a feature, the chances of it happening don't seem too promising. Frame generation requires significant resources, and considering the Steam Deck's older hardware – with low VRAM and less GPU power – it would be challenging to run such software on the device.
SteamOS already has Gamescope and a frame gen mod, but gamers want more
Interestingly, SteamOS already includes its own scaling tool called “Gamescope,” which offers upscaling using AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution or NVIDIA Image Scaling. Gamescope comes pre-installed on the Steam Deck and doesn't require additional setup or fine-tuning. However, since gamers are actively seeking alternatives, it suggests that Gamescope might not meet their expectations, highlighting an opportunity for Valve to improve its functionality for handheld users.
Last year we also got a user-made FSR 3 Frame Generation mod, which translates Nvidia’s DLSS tech to function with AMD’s FSR – the Steam Deck does use AMD hardware, after all. This allows the handheld to get frame generation on games that have native support for DLSS, but none for FSR. Frame Generation is already natively possible on supported games, one example being God of War Ragnarok, which we tested on the Deck. However, Lossless Scaling offers much better tools overall, supporting a wider range of AI upscalers and multi-frame generation in one place.
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