Nova Compatibility
What Nova supports today and where the limits are. Android is the main client, and a native Steam Deck client ships beside it as an Alpha. Other Linux desktops are not a supported target yet, and iOS remains scaffold and study only.
Devices and hosts
Section titled “Devices and hosts”| Area | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Android handhelds | Primary target | Designed first for landscape handheld use |
| Android phones and tablets | Supported | Works well, with the UX tuned most heavily for handheld play |
| Android TV | Supported | ARM64 or 32-bit ARM APKs, Leanback launcher support, D-pad and controller-friendly browsing |
| Steam Deck | Alpha | Native SteamOS client from a Flatpak bundle; see Nova on Steam Deck |
| Polaris | Best experience | Full launch-mode, watch-mode, tuning, library, profile sync, and live-session integration |
| Other Moonlight-compatible hosts | Compatible | Standard Moonlight-compatible client flow |
| Wake-on-LAN | Supported | Sends UDP magic packets from Android, with manual MAC entry |
| High refresh devices | Supported | Nova can request 90 or 120 Hz when the device display and host both support it |
Controllers
Section titled “Controllers”| Area | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Android gamepads | Supported | Controller-first navigation throughout the client |
| Steam Controller 2026 | Partial Android HID support | Android may expose Bluetooth mode as a Valve keyboard/mouse HID. Nova recognizes common Valve HID names for host gamepad presence and compatible D-pad and button events. |
Android does not expose full Steam Input profiles or hidden analog controls through a standard gamepad source, so the Steam Controller case is genuinely partial rather than complete.
Release assets
Section titled “Release assets”Public GitHub Releases ship a separate signed APK per Android ABI and the Steam Deck Alpha as a Flatpak bundle, each with a portable SHA-256 sidecar:
Nova-Android-arm64-v8a.apkNova-Android-armeabi-v7a.apkNova-Android-x86_64.apkNova-Deck-x86_64-alpha.flatpak
Android support starts at minSdk 21 and targets SDK 36. Signed in-place upgrades are preserved across releases, so Obtainium and manual installs stay on a clean upgrade path.
Known limitations
Section titled “Known limitations”- Advanced launch modes, watch mode, live host tuning, richer session telemetry, and Polaris Sync are Polaris-specific. With other hosts, Nova is a standard compatible client.
- Nova is not on the Play Store. The public install paths are GitHub Releases, Obtainium, and GitHub Store.
- High refresh streaming is limited by the real display panel in the Android device, not just the setting chosen in Nova.
- Steam Controller 2026 Bluetooth support depends on the HID shape Android exposes; see above.
- The Steam Deck client is an Alpha. What it does not do yet is listed on Nova on Steam Deck.
Host-side compatibility
Section titled “Host-side compatibility”For the host half, which covers distros, GPUs, encoders, and capture paths, see Polaris support and compatibility.