Boost Your Steam Deck Performance with This App, But There’s a Catch

Frame generation and upscaling through Lossless Scaling are now available on Steam Deck, however, in order to witness its capabilities, Windows must be running on your device.

Despite being a strong contender, the Steam Deck is starting to show its limitations when compared to the modern-day graphics cards of its competitors.

The Valve handheld does not include Nvidia’s frame-generating and upscaling technology, which is typically found on their RTX 40 series cards. Nevertheless, the Steam app now allows for the use of Lossless Scaling on the device.

However, the ‘Lossless Scaling App’ on Steam Deck can only be run with the assistance of Windows 11, posing a major issue.

The Lossless Scaling App has been accessible on Steam since 2018. Specifically designed for use on PCs, the app aims to enhance gaming performance by generating extra frames, similar to Nvidia’s DLSS technology or FSR 3.

Screenshot from ETA PRIME's YouTube video on Lossless Scaling On The Steam Deck. — AND GREAT

Previously, the app was not compatible with SteamOS. However, due to the increased availability of resources for dual-booting Windows on the handheld and the addition of new Windows drivers from Valve, it has now become compatible.

The OLED Steam Deck’s capabilities were demonstrated by YouTuber ETA PRIME through the use of a frame-generating app. According to the YouTuber, there was a noticeable increase in performance.

Games such as Red Dead Redemption 2, which had an average FPS of 47 FPS on the Steam Deck, were elevated to the 90 FPS range.

Despite the significant increase in performance, the video demonstrates that the game only reaches a TDP of 15W, which is almost twice its original amount.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtIpTLmUUNg

Lossless Scaling On The Steam Deck OLED Is A Game Changer But There’s A Catch… (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtIpTLmUUNg)

During his review, ETA Prime put the app’s performance-enhancing features to the test in Cyberpunk 2077. In his video, the YouTuber managed to increase the average FPS from 51 at 720p to 91.

The app, once it has been installed on the Steam Deck, can be accessed through Windows 11 in the same manner as any other program.

ETA Prime selected LS1, the upscaler built into Lossless Scaling, in the video. However, the application offers a variety of upscalers to choose from, such as AMD FSR and Nvidia Image Scaling.

The app also allows you to choose between different frame-generating technologies and their corresponding modes, which will impact the number of frames that the app boosts.

Screenshot of the Lossless Scaling app running on Windows through a Steam Deck via ETA PRIME'S YouTube video, — AND GREAT

The maximum achievable setting is x4. Unfortunately, the Steam Deck’s APU may not have the capability to handle this level. However, if you utilize Lossless Scaling on your powerful PC, you can still test out these options.

To experience it for yourself, you can purchase the Lossless Scaling App on Steam for $7.72. Just remember that, as mentioned earlier, you must have Windows 11 installed on your handheld in order to use it.