Oblivion Remastered Facing Challenges on Steam Deck

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered is making its way back into the gaming world, but those trying to enjoy it on the Steam Deck might face a bumpy ride performance-wise. Despite Bethesda’s much-anticipated release of the remastered version on April 22 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, gamers are discovering issues on Valve’s handheld console.

It’s been nearly two decades since players first embarked on the journey through Cyrodiil during the Oblivion Crisis. Now, thanks to the power of Unreal Engine 5, the remaster promises enhanced visuals and gameplay while keeping the original charm intact with unchanged voice work and classic RPG elements. However, this graphical upgrade demands a lot from PCs. With features like dynamic lighting and virtual shadow mapping, Oblivion Remastered struggles to maintain a stable performance on the Steam Deck even though it’s officially verified for it.

Players diving into Oblivion Remastered on Steam Deck might immediately notice that the game defaults to low graphics settings, with Intel’s XeSS upscaling set to Balanced, as identified by PCGamesN. Unfortunately, these settings fall short of hitting a stable 30 FPS. To combat this, players must adjust further, opting for Performance or Ultra Performance modes to smooth out frame rates. However, be wary as these adjustments might sacrifice image clarity and potentially lead to input lag due to frame generation, especially if the frame rate remains low.

For those desiring smoother gameplay on their Steam Deck, streaming Oblivion Remastered through Nvidia GeForce Now could be the solution. Though this option requires a subscription, it grants an image quality superior to the native experience on Steam Deck. Additionally, Xbox Game Pass subscribers can play the remaster via Xbox Cloud Gaming, broadening accessibility.

Additionally, it’s crucial to note that Oblivion Remastered demands a hefty 125 GB of storage space and suggests a minimum of 16 GB of RAM for adequate performance. While the Steam Deck meets the RAM requirement, achieving optimal gameplay necessitates 32 GB of RAM along with current-generation graphics cards and processors. And, if circulating whispers hold any truth, players might eventually find a more seamless handheld experience on a possible Nintendo Switch 2.

In sum, while The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered is a nostalgia-filled delight, those looking to roam Cyrodiil on a Steam Deck might face hurdles requiring patience and configuration finesse to overcome.