Nova on Steam Deck

Nova for Steam Deck is a native SteamOS client, in Alpha. It is not the Android app in a wrapper: it has its own pairing, Library, Play Setup, streaming, Command Center and NovaHUD, built for the Deck’s controls and screen. Every Nova release attaches it as a Flatpak bundle, Nova-Deck-x86_64-alpha.flatpak, beside the Android APKs.

It is an Alpha, there for anyone who wants to try it early. Expect gaps, and tell us what breaks on GitHub or in the Matrix room.

To stream from a Steam Deck instead, with Polaris on the Deck as the host, see Handhelds and Game Mode.

1. Install

In Desktop Mode, open Konsole and run:

flatpak install flathub org.kde.Platform//6.10
wget --output-document=./Nova-Deck-x86_64-alpha.flatpak https://github.com/papi-ux/nova/releases/latest/download/Nova-Deck-x86_64-alpha.flatpak
flatpak install --user ./Nova-Deck-x86_64-alpha.flatpak

The first command installs the KDE Platform runtime the Alpha runs on, from Flathub. Skip it when it is already installed. The bundle installs for your account only. To update, download the bundle from the new release and run the same install again.

Each bundle has a .sha256 file beside it on the release. Download it too and check the bundle with sha256sum -c Nova-Deck-x86_64-alpha.flatpak.sha256 if you want to.

2. Add Nova to Game Mode

Close Steam, then run:

flatpak run com.papi_ux.Nova --register-steam-shortcut

Steam lists Nova as a non-Steam game called Nova, and Game Mode launches it like any other game. An update keeps the shortcut.

3. Pair and play

Open Nova, add your host, and pair it with a PIN or with Trusted Pair. Nova keeps a pairing of its own and never borrows Moonlight’s. Then open the host’s Library, pick a game, check Play Setup, and launch.

With a keyboard attached, Ctrl+Alt+Shift+M opens Command Center during a stream.

What the Alpha does

• Pairs on its own with a PIN or Trusted Pair.
• Browses a host’s Library with its artwork, and runs Play Setup.
• Streams with native video and audio, with Command Center, NovaHUD, Doctor and session recovery.
• Gives each controller a player, with rumble and deadzones.
• Takes a keyboard and a mouse.

What it does not do yet

• The mouse follows the pointer on screen. Relative aiming, where a game turns the camera with the mouse, is not in yet.
• Touch and trackpad modes are not in yet.
• Some Android features are partial. Full parity with the Android app is the goal before the Deck client leaves Alpha.