Nova on Linux

Nova Linux is a native client, rather than the Android app running in a container. It pairs with a compatible host, browses its library, and streams with your keyboard, mouse or controller. Steam Deck uses this same client in Game Mode.

Install without starting over

Get Nova-Linux-x86_64-alpha.flatpak and its matching .sha256 file from the Nova beta.1 release for the controls described here. Stable 1.4.13 remains available if you prefer the earlier client. The Alpha label describes the client’s maturity; it is a native Linux build.

sha256sum -c Nova-Linux-x86_64-alpha.flatpak.sha256
flatpak install --user flathub org.kde.Platform//6.10
flatpak install --user ./Nova-Linux-x86_64-alpha.flatpak
flatpak run com.papi_ux.Nova --standalone

Use the same Flatpak installation you already use. If Nova is installed system-wide, update that installation instead of creating a second user copy. An ordinary update keeps the app ID, paired hosts and preferences. Do not use --delete-data to switch builds.

The public 1.4.13 release also has a separate experimental PyroWave bundle. In beta.1, its decoder moves into the standard Linux bundle; there is no second PyroWave download. Updating the existing app preserves its data. Compare the codec paths.

There is no public ARM64 Linux asset to substitute for this x86_64 bundle. Steam Frame development has its own experimental status.

From Hosts to play

Hosts

Select the PC you want to use. Pair through the normal PIN flow before launching. Manage a saved PC separately from opening its library.

Library

Pick a game, then review Play Setup. A poster grid, Compact grid and Stage view let you choose how much artwork and context to show.

Play Setup

Set this game’s resolution, frame rate and codec independently. Disabled choices explain the missing device or host support.

Command Center

Review the live stream, change supported controls, resume after a disconnect, or ask the host to end the session.

These are beta.1’s screen names and controls. Its layout starts with landscape Deck and desktop windows, then stacks panels and actions when the window is resized narrower. It is not a separate Linux phone interface.

For a new game, Private Stream is a useful first choice when Polaris offers it: the game runs away from the physical desktop. Host default follows the host’s policy. Mirror Desktop deliberately streams the existing desktop. A game’s pinned host launch mode can take precedence; read the resolved plan before starting. Launch modes.

Make the beta comfortable

Open Settings → Appearance:

Theme changes the library and in-game palette, including High Contrast and the crimson Director theme.
Text Size runs from 80% to 130%, in 1% steps. Fresh installations start at 80%; an existing saved size stays saved. Type a number or use the step buttons, then Save.
Control Size has Compact, Standard and Large. It changes button size and spacing independently of text size.
Library Layout selects the grid, Compact or Stage view.

Search Settings by a name or related word, such as “rumble”. Back clears a root search before closing Settings. In In-Game, Menu Background Opacity and HUD Background Opacity are separate controls; both default to 64%.

D-pad or arrow keys move focus, A or Enter activates, and B or Escape goes back. A controller can open Command Center with View/Back/Select + Menu/Start. Keyboard users can press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + M to release the captured pointer and open it. Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F changes fullscreen mode.

Check support before blaming the picture

Codec availability comes from the actual client decoder and the host offer. Selecting a codec does not prove the active capture path is GPU-native: check current Command Center, HUD or Polaris Doctor evidence during the stream. A Vulkan probe is a readiness check, not a measurement of the running path.

For PyroWave, the beta can use the host’s recommended starting rate, with a calibrated local estimate when the host has none. Live controls use 10 Mbps steps and the advertised manual limit, up to 500 Mbps; Use recommended stays at or below 300 Mbps. The received video rate is a separate measurement from the request. Play Setup’s preset picker offers rates through 300 Mbps and can retain a higher saved custom rate. Units and limits.

The beta probes PyroWave lazily, when its codec support is needed. A device that cannot satisfy the Vulkan decoder requirements gets a reason rather than a silent switch to another codec. Linux PyroWave is currently SDR, 8-bit, 4:2:0, manually selected, and unavailable in Spaces.

Leave the session deliberately

Disconnect leaves the host session running for Resume. End Session asks the host to stop it; an accepted request is not proof that every game process has exited. In particular, a game launched through a shared Heroic Flatpak may keep running after Host Virtual Display ends. Prefer Private Stream for that case, and verify the host if the game is still visible.

For Steam registration and trackpad advice, use the Deck guide. Wake PC needs a saved host MAC and a network that carries Wake-on-LAN; waking a PC is separate from pairing or launching a game.