Steam Frame preview

Steam Frame is an experimental native 2D streaming development target for Nova Linux. This work uses the Frame’s ARM64 hardware directly; it is not the Android APK, a new XR interface, or a claim of shipping support.

Preview work, not a public download

There is no public Nova ARM64 Linux release asset yet. The x86_64 Deck bundle is for a different CPU architecture and cannot stand in for a Frame build. Package and release-workflow qualification are still required.

What the development has shown

The native provider work includes an ARM64 hardware-decode path, decoded-frame fixtures, and Adreno NV12 and PyroWave DMA-BUF handling. Actual Frame runs have shown H.264 and HEVC game pictures. The owner has also observed a 1080p60 PyroWave picture with audio and controller input.

That last observation is a useful first milestone, not a clean bill of health: clarity and color concerns remain open. Decoding a test fixture does not prove that a physical stream looks right, and a stream starting does not prove a sustained target frame rate.

What is still being qualified

Path	Current evidence	Remaining limit
H.264	A 15-minute 1080p90 run, with real decoded frames	About 89.3 decoded/submitted frames per second and 85.5 app compositions per second, with delivery drops and decoder refusals; the 90 fps target did not pass
HEVC	A real picture and an interrupted run of about ten minutes	No completed, matched 90 fps soak; later display-rate changes are a separate run
PyroWave	Owner-observed 1080p60 picture, audio and controls	Clarity/color concerns and the 90 fps soak remain open

App compositions, decoded frames and display presentation are different measurements. They should be read together rather than turning any one counter into a “90 fps verified” badge.

Before trying a future preview

Wait for an explicitly published ARM64 package and its qualification notes. Keep a working client available, start at a modest resolution and frame rate, and check the actual codec, decoder and display cadence. PyroWave needs its own Vulkan feature support and considerably more network bandwidth than HEVC.

The Linux guide explains the native client’s controls. PyroWave in beta.1 separates decoder support, capture paths and bandwidth advice. None of these pages promises XR support or all-codec 90 fps acceptance on Frame.