Breakdown
- Thanks to a recent update, Nvidia GeForce Now is much easier to install on Steam Deck
- A newly released script will automatically download and setup Chrome, while adding a shortcut to GeForce Now
- There's still some tweaking required, but the process is much easier than it was before
The Steam Deck is a small, yet mighty gaming PC set within a handheld, but it can struggle with some games that require high-end machines or powerful CPUs. However, with the rise of cloud gaming comes opportunities to play games with higher requirements, and Nvidia is making it even easier.
Despite being one of the best gaming handhelds, and being easier to use than Windows on the ASUS ROG Ally, the Steam Deck's Linux-based OS, aptly titled SteamOS, can be difficult for some users to fiddle with, but Valve makes the basic Steam UI easy for gamers to learn. However, if you need to escape Steam's homebrew library, you may get a little lost.
Fortunately, Nvidia is making at least one app easier to install - Nvidia GeForce Now. The subscription-based cloud gaming service lets you play your various game libraries via Nvidia's powerful servers, and while it could be installed before, the process is much easier now.
While the update was released last week, it was recently announced via the Nvidia blog. Alongside a host of new games added to the service, including the first Hellblade game ahead of the sequel's launch later this month, Nvidia has released a script that installs Chrome, adjusts the browser for use with the gamepad, and adds a shortcut to GeForce Now into your Steam Deck library (via The Verge).
There's still some tweaking required, as The Verge mentions, including the fact that you'll need to enter the Steam menu and enable Gamepad with Mouse Trackpad when starting up GeForce Now, but it's a much easier process than it was before.
While the cloud gaming service is mostly known as a subscription service, Nvidia recently released Day Passes for GeForce Now, letting you play with 4080 rigs for just a day. If you don't plan on sticking with GeForce Now for months, it's a great way of playing some of your owned titles via the cloud for a limited time.
Hopefully, similar apps can follow suit, like Xbox making Game Pass accessible on Steam Deck in such an easy way. However, considering that Gabe Newell and Phil Spencer seem to be in talks, we imagine it could happen one day.
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