steam deck

19 Articles

A Linux Power User Puts SteamOS To Work

January 12, 2026 by 54 Comments

The line between a Linux user and a Linux power user is a bit gray, and a bit wide. Most people who install Linux already have more computer literacy than average, and the platform has long encouraged experimentation and construction in a way macOS and Windows generally aren’t designed for. Traditional Linux distributions often ask more of their users as well, requiring at least a passing familiarity with the terminal and the operating system’s internals especially once something inevitably breaks.

In recent years, however, a different design philosophy has been gaining ground. Immutable Linux distributions like Fedora Silverblue, openSUSE MicroOS, and NixOS dramatically reduce the chances an installation behaves erratically by making direct changes to the underlying system either impossible or irrelevant.

SteamOS fits squarely into this category as well. While it’s best known for its console-like gaming mode it also includes a fully featured Linux desktop, which is a major part of its appeal and the reason I bought a Steam Deck in the first place. For someone coming from Windows or macOS, this desktop provides a familiar, fully functional environment: web browsing, media playback, and other basic tools all work out of the box.

As a Linux power user encountering an immutable desktop for the first time, though, that desktop mode wasn’t quite what I expected. It handles these everyday tasks exceptionally well, but performing the home sysadmin chores that are second nature to me on a Debian system takes a very different mindset and a bit of effort. Continue reading “A Linux Power User Puts SteamOS To Work” →

GEEKDeck Is A SteamDeck For Your Living Room

June 27, 2025 by 19 Comments

You know what the worst thing about the Steam Deck is? Being able to play your games on the go. Wouldn’t it be better if it was a screenless brick that lived under your TV? Well, maybe not, but at least one person thought so, because [Interfacing Linux] has created the GeekDeck, a Steam OS console of sorts in this video embedded below.

The hack is as simple as can be: he took a GEEKOM A5, a minicomputer with very similar specs to the Steam Deck, and managed to load SteamOS onto it. We were expecting that to be a trial that took most of the video’s runtime, but no! Everything just… sorta worked. It booted to a live environment and installed like any other Linux. Which was unexpected, but Steam has released SteamOS for PC. 

In case you weren’t aware, SteamOS is an immutable distribution based on Arch Linux. Arch of course has all the drivers to run on… well, any modern PC, but it’s the immutable part that we were expecting to cause problems. Immutable distributions are locked down in a similar manner to Mac OS (everything but /home/ is typically read-only, even to the superuser) and SteamOS doesn’t ship with package manager that can get around this, like rpm-ostree in Fedora’s Silverblue ecosystem. Actually, if you don’t have a hardware package that matches the SteamDeck to the same degree this GEEKOM does, Bazzite might be a good bet– it’s based on Siverblue and was made to be SteamOS for PC, before Steam let you download their OS to try on your PC.

Anyway, you can do it. Should you? Well, based on the performance shown in the video, not if you want to run triple-A games locally. This little box is no more powerful than the SteamDeck, after all. It’s not a full gaming rig. Still, it was neat to see SteamOS off of the ‘deck and in the wild.

Usually we see hacks that use the guts of the SteamDeck guts with other operating systems, not the other way around. Like the Bento Box AR machine we liked so much it was actually  featured twice.  The SteamDeck makes for a respectable SBC, if you can find a broken one. If not, apparently a Chinese MiniPC will work just as well.

Continue reading “GEEKDeck Is A SteamDeck For Your Living Room” →

Bento Is An All-In-One Computer Designed To Be Useful

June 20, 2025 by 23 Comments

All-in-one computers in which the mainboard lurked beneath a keyboard were once the default in home computing, but more recently they have been relegated to interesting niche devices such as the Raspberry Pi 400 and 500.

The Bento is another take on the idea, coming at it not with the aim of replacing a desktop machine, instead as a computer for use with wearable display glasses. The thinking goes that when your display is head mounted, why carry around a screen with your laptop.

On top it’s a keyboard, but underneath it’s a compartmentalized space similar to the Japanese lunchboxes which lend the project its name. The computing power comes courtesy of a Steam Deck so it has a USB-C-for-everything approach to plugging in a desktop, though there’s a stated goal to produce versions for other boards such as the Raspberry Pi. There’s even an empty compartment for storage of peripherals.

We like this computer, both for being a cyberdeck and for being without a screen so not quite like the other cyberdecks. It’s polished enough that we could almost imagine it as a commercial product. It’s certainly not the first Steam Deck based cyberdeck we’ve seen.

Bento showing fully assembled device and XR glasses

Bento – VR/XR From A Keyboard

June 15, 2025 by 6 Comments

XR may not have crashed into our lives as much as some tech billionaires have wished, but that doesn’t stop the appeal of a full display that takes up no physical space. At that point, why not get rid of the computer that takes up living space as well? That is what [Michael] tries to do with Bento, the form factor of an Apple Magic keyboard and the power of a Steam Deck. 

Continue reading “Bento – VR/XR From A Keyboard” →

An Open-Source Wii U Gamepad

May 19, 2025 by 8 Comments

Although Nintendo is mostly famous for making great games, they also have an infamous reputation for being highly litigious not only for reasonable qualms like outright piracy of their games, but additionally for more gray areas like homebrew development on their platforms or posting gameplay videos online. With that sort of reputation it’s not surprising that they don’t release open-source drivers for their platforms, especially those like the Wii U with unique controllers that are difficult to emulate. This Wii U gamepad emulator seeks to bridge that gap.

The major issue with the Wii U compared to other Nintendo platforms like the SNES or GameCube is that the controller looks like a standalone console and behaves similarly as well, with its own built-in screen. Buying replacement controllers for this unusual device isn’t straightforward either; outside of Japan Nintendo did not offer an easy path for consumers to buy controllers. This software suite, called Vanilla, aims to allow other non-Nintendo hardware to bridge this gap, bringing in support for things like the Steam Deck, the Nintendo Switch, various Linux devices, or Android smartphones which all have the touch screens required for Wii U controllers. The only other hardware requirement is that the device must support 802.11n 5 GHz Wi-Fi.

Although the Wii U was somewhat of a flop commercially, it seems to be experiencing a bit of a resurgence among collectors, retro gaming enthusiasts, and homebrew gaming developers as well. Many games were incredibly well made and are still experiencing continued life on the Switch, and plenty of gamers are looking for the original experience on the Wii U instead. If you’ve somehow found yourself in the opposite position of owning of a Wii U controller but not the console, though, you can still get all the Wii U functionality back with this console modification.

Thanks to [Kat] for the tip!

A black box with the words "Steam BRICK" emblazoned in white and orange text. It sits on a grey surface with various electronic parts surrounding it.

Steam Brick Makes Your Steam Deck Headless

January 26, 2025 by 44 Comments

Handhelds are designed to be portable, but what if you need something smaller than OEM? The Steam Brick pulls basically everything off of a Steam Deck to make it as portable as possible.

[crastinator-pro] found they rarely used the controller or screen on their Steam Deck, and the form factor was too bulky to conveniently chuck into their bag, negating the advantage of owning a portable console. As to be expected from any self-respecting hacker, they did a couple quick tests with components unplugged then got to work with the rotary tool.

After excising the main board from its handheld bonds and trimming unnecessary bits from the aluminum frame around the mainboard, they designed a case that can be tossed in a bag without any special treatment. The case was printed in polycarbonate to better withstand the heat of the console running at full tilt, and the colorful details were added in PLA with a 3D pen.

We’ve discussed using a Steam Deck as a single-board computer before, but if you want to keep it in one piece, you could also get it setup in a slick keyboard case.

Custom Case Turns Steam Deck Into Portable Workstation

January 12, 2025 by 7 Comments

DIY portable computing takes many forms, and doesn’t always require getting down and dirty with custom electronics. [Justinas Jakubovskis]’s Steam Deck Play and Work case demonstrates this with some really smart design features.

It’s primarily a carrying case for Valve’s Steam Deck portable PC gaming console, but the unit also acts as a fold-out workstation with keyboard. Add a wireless mouse to the mix and one can use it much like a mini laptop, or just pull the Steam Deck out and use it in the usual way.

The case is 3D printed and while the model isn’t free (links are in the video description) some of the design features are worth keeping in mind even if you’re not buying. The top clasp, for example, doubles as a cover for the buttons and exhaust vents and the kickstand at the rear covers the cooling intake when closed, and exposes it when deployed. We also really like the use of thick fabric tape lining the inside of the case to support and cushion the Steam Deck itself; it’s an effective and adjustable way to provide a soft place for something to sit.

The case is intended to fit a specific model of keyboard, in this case the Pebble Keys 2 K380s (also available as a combo with a mouse). But if you want to roll your own Steam Deck keyboard and aren’t afraid of some low-level work, check out the Keysheet. Or go deeper and get some guidance on modding the Steam Deck itself.

Continue reading “Custom Case Turns Steam Deck Into Portable Workstation” →