How does DroidDeck work?
DroidDeck is a new open-source project that aims to bring the Steam client to Android devices, providing a similar experience to Valve’s SteamOS. Unlike other emulators, DroidDeck allows games to be downloaded and run locally on the Android device, rather than streaming them from another computer.
Users can sign in to their Steam accounts, access their libraries, download games, and launch supported titles directly from their Android devices. The project uses Valve’s ARM64 Proton to run Windows games and FEX for x86 software translation. It also supports Steam Input, performance monitoring, GPU driver management, upscaling, and frame generation.
In addition to Steam, DroidDeck can connect to other launchers like GOG, Epic Games, and Amazon Games, allowing users to browse and download games. These titles can then be added to Steam as non-Steam games and launched through Proton.
Early testing on powerful Android hardware has shown promising results. Games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Skyrim Special Edition ran smoothly, with some reaching 120 FPS at high settings. DroidDeck also supports technologies like AMD FSR and Snapdragon GSR upscaling, as well as frame generation for increased smoothness.
The latest version of DroidDeck, version 0.3.2, comes with new features, improvements, and bug fixes. However, there are hardware requirements to consider, such as Android 9 or newer and Adreno 730 or newer GPUs. Adreno 6xx support is experimental, while other GPUs like Mali, Xclipse, PowerVR, and Adreno 710 are not currently supported.
