agenda
What is lossless scaling anyway?
Imagine being able to double the frame rate (FPS) in your favorite games just like that. Sounds too good to be true? But it's not! That's where Lossless Scaling comes in. It's a piece of software you can buy for just a few euros from the Steam Store. Originally developed for Windows PCs, the community has found a way to make this ingenious tool work on the Steam Deck as well.
The magic behind lossless scaling lies in what's known as frame generation . Instead of your hardware having to calculate each individual frame itself, the software artificially generates additional frames. The result: a significantly smoother gaming experience, even with demanding titles. Instead of 30 FPS, you can suddenly play at 60 FPS—a difference that's immediately noticeable.
In addition to frame generation, the tool also offers various upscaling methods such as AMD FSR or NVIDIA Image Scaling. These allow you to render games at a lower resolution and then upscale them to your Steam Deck's native resolution without causing blur. This protects the hardware and provides additional performance gains.
The advantages and disadvantages at a glance
Of course, not everything that glitters is gold. Before you excitedly press the "Buy" button, let's take a sober look at the pros and cons:
Advantages:
- More FPS: The biggest advantage is the potential doubling of your frame rate. This makes games feel significantly smoother.
- Better performance: The combination of frame generation and upscaling allows you to enjoy even graphically demanding games on the Steam Deck.
- Easy to use: Thanks to a Decky Loader plugin, using it on the Steam Deck is incredibly easy.
Disadvantages:
- Costs: The tool is not free, but at less than 10 euros it is a manageable investment.
- Possible latency: Since the frames are artificially generated, there may be a slight input lag. Therefore, this isn't always the best choice for fast-paced online shooters.
-
Not perfect for every game: Some games may experience graphical artifacts or other issues. The only solution is to try it out.
How-To: Install Lossless Scaling on the Steam Deck
Excited yet? We'll show you step-by-step how to get lossless scaling working on your Steam Deck. But don't worry, it's easier than it sounds.
- Buy Lossless Scaling: Buy and install Lossless Scaling from the Steam Store .
- Install Decky Loader: If you haven't already, you'll need to install Decky Loader. This is a plugin manager for the Steam Deck that unlocks many cool new features. You can find detailed instructions in our blog post about Decky Loader .
- Install the Lossless Scaling Plugin: Download the Lossless Scaling Plugin for the Decky Loader from the GitHub page. To do so, go to desktop mode on your Steam Deck and download the latest ZIP file.
- Install plugin in Decky Loader: Open Decky Loader, go to the settings and install the plugin using the downloaded ZIP file.
- Install LSFG-VK: Launch the Lossless Scaling plugin in the Decky Loader and click the button to install LSFG-VK . This is necessary for the plugin to work.
-
Adjust game launch options: Copy the launch option in the plugin and paste it into the properties of your Steam games under "Launch Options."
That's it! Now when you launch a game, you can enable lossless scaling via the Decky Loader menu and enjoy doubling your FPS.
Conclusion: A must-have for performance junkies?
For us, the answer is a resounding "yes!" Lossless scaling is a fantastic way to squeeze even more performance out of your Steam Deck. Especially in single-player games, where minimal latency isn't so important, the FPS boost is a real game-changer. For a small price, you get a powerful tool that will noticeably enhance your gaming experience.
Have you tried lossless scaling yet? Share your experiences in the comments! We're excited to see what you get out of your Steam Deck.