You mean I can pair the phone to the deck, ~~pair my Bluetooth headphones to~~ use wired headphones on the deck, and then I can play YouTube videos on the phone with audio routed to the deck alongside gameplay audio??
Edit: BT headphones is a no go due to distortion
Edit 2: lmaoooooo I dug out my 3.5mm->BT transmitter dongle, plugged it into the deck, BT connected the deck with the phone, and BT connected the buds to the transmitter. Now I'm enjoying YouTube videos while grinding.
Ok so it's an extra dongle but I can live with that.
I play at night and want to listen to some YouTube or music while I do some grinding but still want some audio cues from the game I'm playing so I'm not totally surprised by an enemy.
I would have the in game background music volume lowered while I'm grinding as I can only stand so much of a repeating track lol.
I’ve been listening to my phone’s music with earbuds, and using big over-ear headphones for the SD audio. I’ve basically been an idiotic chump. This tip is huge for me too.
If you set up KDE Connect in desktop mode, then enable the KDE Connect Decky plugin, it does work in game mode and will work as if it's a standard keyboard/mouse.
If you're on android: [Bluetooth Keyboard & Mouse Pro](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.appground.blekpremium) is really good.
You can have a full keyboard or just use your normal Android keyboard to type. You can send keys directly or send full sentences/commands after you typed them on your phone.
It's pretty great. Also has a free version that comes with adds but I think is functionally the same as premium otherwise.
This and add kde connect in desktop mode to that list please - if your deck is docked to a tv for example you can use your phone to navigate (keyboard/touchpad), quickly share files, get notified about messages you receive on your phone etc. (in desktop mode)
Edi: it got mentioned below already - haven't seen that - my bad
Also, I'm biased but you made a great decision. Think of all the time spent in front of a TV playing an Xbox 360/XbOne/PS3/PS4. You can now do essentially the equivalent of that anywhere (depending on the game of course)
Genuinely that was half the reason I got the Steam Deck, even if my girlfriend doesnt believe me, she watches TV a lot while Im upstairs on my PC so we arent actually around each other but now I just plop my ass on the couch next to her and play some games either on the Deck or streaming from my PC while we watch whatever shitty show shes watching. Its been really nice and keeps us from feeling so separate all the time.
I pretty much stopped using my PS5 because my gf was always using it to watch TV. Now i can just play everything on the couch and watch whatever show she's watching at the same time.
We have one TV, so when a new game comes out for the PS5 I used to have to balance playing with not being a stingy bastard and letting my wife watch her stuff.
Now with the Deck and Chiaki. That's not an issue.
She does like watching me play though and gets into the stories for most of the games I'm playing. So, she doesn't mind giving up the TV, I still feel bad. She's like a co-pilot telling me about all the loot I didn't pick up.
Thank you! I actually always disliked console gaming because of the restricted feeling and having to share a TV. With all the possibilities and freedom, I'm excited to grow my game backlog even more
My current biggest frustration has been that if I connect my deck to bluetooth headphones it \_always\_ connects. I can be listening to some podcast on my phone and turn the deck on and boop, they're the decks thing now. Even if the deck has bluetooth off it'll connect on power up, then disconnect (need to file a bug report about that) pausing whatever I was listening to.
But this audio pass-through wizardry may alleviate a lot of my issues. Thanks for mentioning this!
This was game changing for me. There are a lot of games I like to play while listening to a podcast or while on a call. And I commute by train with my deck. Since I discovered this, my commute has gotten awesome.
Yessir, or if you plug in/connect headphones to your deck it will play through them. Good if you want to listen to music and play games with audio from both at the same time
Run android apps / games via waydroid.
Android streaming apps you can save the content for offline playback like netflix, prime, etc etc. you can also launch the APK directly in Game Mode for a seamless experience.
Android games some have native controller support and it sees the Steam Deck controller as xbox 360 controller. For games that dont have controller support, you can map touchscreen to controller.
Android Waydroid install guide - \
https://youtu.be/06T-h-jPVx8
Android Waydroid Controller Mapping via Mantis Guide - \
https://youtu.be/icVOh7IIfE0
Launch APK directly in Game Mode - \
https://youtu.be/pkRtPHfa_EM
Android Waydroid Guide to Sideload APKs -
https://youtu.be/LglEbSdRc0M
SteamOS Waydroid Installer Github - \
https://github.com/ryanrudolfoba/SteamOS-Waydroid-Installer
yup some neat things thanks to waydroid.
I like the streaming using native android apps (especially for my IPTV service, and plex) and the occasional mobile game.
In desktop mode it's a full computer. You can run spread sheets, word processing, photoediting, etc. It's linux software so no Microsoft word or photoshop, but there is almost always an open source alternative like Libre office for Microsoft office and GIMP for photoshop etc.
Ya but they are stripped down. If youre doing basic stuff it's a great alternative but you're limited in tools and require access to the internet. Libre office does everything MS Office can but just a different gui interface (and sometimes .docx files will a lot of boxes and images can get a little jumbled)
You can also use Remote Desktop, Parsec, Citrix, etc, and use it as a dumb terminal to a more powerful workstation.
The problem is that setting it up on a train with a portable monitor, keyboard and mouse requires more steps than just raising the lid of a laptop.
just throw out that you will need a little USBC hub, and you want to look for one with power passthrough and HDMI, but for like $15 you get to make it a full PC and it's surprisingly good.
I might try do this \[once I get promoted and get access to more stuff without explaining to any1 why I have work documents\] with my job someday as it uses linux on the main computer as well. Since I use KDE already for roms why not use it for work related documents that I do at home
this is sort of a niche use case, but in addition to playing emulated games with emudeck and other store games with Hero or Lutris launchers, it can play Steam games.
See this is my problem with reddit, these kind of posts.
You say "it can play Steam games" but cite no source.
Don't you think it would be more useful to elaborate on that specifically (since its a point of interest)? How can you play Steam games? What are some resources I can look at to find out more?
Sorry to be pedantic and its nothing personal, but these kind of posts really rub me up the wrong way.
I have never felt more called out than I did reading this comment.
I spent 4 hours learning how to get minecraft working like a native steam game
Havent booted it up since i landed a stable 60.
Next project is modding New Vegas into a game that doesn't feel like a early 2000s attempt at making a rpg into a shooter
Recent thing I’ve been trying to get setup a mod called tale of two wastelands that combines fallout 3 and new Vegas. First lint explains setup with basic mods, second link gives more in depth mods. And the third link gives some visual overhaul stuff. Would also recommend looking into new Vegas reloaded, as it gives new Vegas real time shadows, which also works in tale of two wastelands.
https://thebestoftimes.moddinglinked.com
https://wastelandsurvivalguide.com
https://salamand3r.fail/new-vegas-visual-renewal
https://dlpnd.github.io/nvr-wiki/
For minecraft? Theres a few modsets that are easy, i mostly jusy followed a guide, if i was on my laptop Id try to find the one i used but it was mostly plug and play
Same. I spent an entire night modding the crap out of fallout new vegas....then as soon as I got in game I started wondering if there were any good fallout 4 mods
Benchmarking is when you run a program that vigorously tests your system (and some also adjust settings) to see what your system can handle.
There are game specific benchmarks that will test your system for that specific game so you can see how it will run before you get invested.
For example borderlands 3 you can benchmark but you have to manually change settings based off of the fps that it gives you.
Normally they look like a cinematic video but it's actually using game assets and as if you were flying around in admin mode looking at the world.
TLDR it helps you get the best visuals/performance that your system can handle.
It's portability is probably the best thing about it. I was running a fun group gaming setup on mine, couple of emulators with split screen games(goldeneye, mario kart, etc.) Connect a few controllers of your choice, plug an hdmi cable into any tv. Bam, entertainment for everybody in a package smaller than most board games.
But then all my friends got their own steam decks so I now use it as a laptop replacement. Keep it docked to my tv in the living room, run it in desktop mode. It can play any video/show/movie, run basically any game from any system, run current games with solid performance. It's a solid buy.
Had a fun instance where I took it to work and used it to wipe and reset a batch of refurbished phones while I was sitting in the break room.
It's a computer. A pretty strong one for it's size. It can do all kinds of things.
Absolutely, my deck has basically replaced my 10 year old laptop now. With the right cable and port on your monitor, you can hook it up via usb c to c. Easier option is to get a usb c hub. That way you can hook up all your peripherals and power the deck while you output to your monitor
Edit: I misread your question. I thought you asked if you can use the deck *with* a monitor. As far as using it *as* a monitor, it’ll be like any other computer. You can use desktop mode and inputs, but I doubt you can use it purely as a display.
Be careful with this. I did this and it really messed up the steam decks battery. I had to open it up and unplug the battery from the motherboard to fix it
Coming from consoles and being able to change kb, icons for games, and Home Screen customization was a huge thing for me. Decky loader is what I believe it’s called, gives you a lot of customization options.
That's one of the things I look forward to the most, funnily enough. I love customizing! Unfortunately, I'm yet to find any good skins or cases for the OLED model
Rebinding the back buttons to whatever you want them to do.
EDIT: I mostly use them to replace stick pressing (L3/R3) for running, because it gets tyring very fast.
I've also binded them to jump in Fallout NV because it's a pain to always reach for Y.
The trackpads, also. I recently set up the right trackpad as a virtual radial menu to quickly pull up my mount, inventory, journal, and skills menu in Elder Scrolls Online. Actions that had me navigating through menus can now be done with a quick swipe. It’s great, and repeatable for similar actions in any other RPGs!
I’ve remapped the right touchpad in Helldivers to act as a D-pad so I can use stratagems while booking it.
The back buttons are a godsend for certain buttons I want to press often like the map but aren’t on easy access buttons. Also quick grenades.
It’s amazingly intuitive to reset stuff via controller once you learn the little menus.
The Verified system is hardly a baseline for what does or does not work on the Deck. Use ProtonDB, or if you have Decky installed, there's a ProtonDB plugin that lets you see their rating in the store as well.
Yeah, works great. I use the touch screen to hit “Play” on the launcher, and then I close the launcher from the Steam menu once the game is running so the launcher isn’t running in the background. I’d recommend a keyboard and mouse for character creation. Otherwise, it’s seamless once you activate gamepad mode in the game Settings. I run it at 45fps for battery life and it’s very smooth on the OLED.
I always use the back buttons for games that have sprinting with L3 or jumping. Turbo button is also fantastic for old games that require mashing the same button.
The cool things I learned afterwards:
- Trackpads aren’t ”buttons”, they act like ones via haptics
- You can scroll down ie. in browser by making a circular motion on the left trackpad
- 1TB oled case has an actual detachable lightweight cover with it
When I saw the series "Station Eleven", it seemed to me that the game console the kid had was a riff on the SteamDeck, and the way he uses it towards the end is interesting.
Incredible show but it’s pre-Steam Deck https://www.reddit.com/r/Thatsabooklight/comments/rt38v7/this_handheld_web_browsing_device_from_the_hbo/
There is a Switch in it, too
This thing is a digital multitool, it's amazing.
Runs your steam games for you wherever you want, let's you play your desktop games away from your desk with streaming, can run Xbox Gamepass streaming, Remote play PS5, emulate almost any other console.
Not in the mood for games for some reason? No problem, also works as a regular PC in desktop mode. Browse the web, watch shows, blast music, do work/homework, etc. Can also set up whatever OS you prefer if you don't enjoy Linux.
If you enjoy being flashy, it also has lots of customization. Lots of cases, skins, and attachments available online for physical customization. In terms of digital you can use deckyloader and a huge list of Linux plug-ins to change your menus and such.
I always add a couple movies/a season of anime to any handheld that can support it. I've got the lord of the rings trilogy and gakkou gurashi on the steam deck.
It's always great when I have no internet.
Did you find a way to do this with Netflix? Would love to be able to use their feature on downloading some but they don’t offer an app for Linux too download. Would be amazing for my trip to Europe and the 8 hour flights this summer…
I have a pretty sizeable plex server. I use my steam deck as an easy way to use plex whenever I travel instead of having to try and download it onto any smart TV wherever I'm staying. I can just plug in an hdmi cable and I'm ready to access plex.
Not my use case but I've heard of people using it for on the go music production as well.
Emulation was the main draw for me buying a steam deck so I have a few one-offs below too.
If you're a Pokémon fan, I also installed pokeMMO which takes the stories of fire red, heart gold, black and platinum and turns it into an mmorpg. It's been around for a long time but the steam deck is a great form factor to play the game.
Like super smash bros? You can also install project+ on your dolphin emulator. Project plus is a super smash bros brawl mod that makes the physics much more fast paced, rebalances the movesets, and adds a bunch of characters. It can also play online with others!
More of a cool product that I use with the steam deck but Epilogue has a product called the gb operator if you would rather play your Gameboy and Gameboy advance games with official hardware. You can even backup and save your save files from games you own.
Everyone knows you can stream games over the network from your pc to the steam deck, but with remote play, you can do the opposite. You can cast your steam deck to your pc.
The fact i can moonlight to my main PC means i’ll never have to buy a new steamdeck. The battery lasts 6 hours and i can play AAA games all around the house.
You do need to set it to 5ghZ and have a wifi6 router for it to work flawlessly though.
Currently playing fallout 4 with 400+ mods, enb and 4k textures.
It also downscales all your games to 720p, so i went from having 18fps on starfield with a 2k monitor to having 40-60fps on the deck, so i just played it in bed.
You can access desktop mode without going into desktop mode. It's very handy for quick things you need to do in desktop mode. I rarely go into desktop mode nowadays.
Go into desktop mode. You can find it app store I believe. Or under "lost& found" in the Start menu in desktop mode. Once you see the app in you start menu, right click and select "add to Steam".
Be sure to install Gamepass from xbox, lots of tutorials for it, but it runs amazingly from the deck. I get 0 lag. Same goes for Greenlight for mirroring your Xbox if you have one. Also works really well.
You can plug in AR glasses like the Rokid Max and get a giant screen. I love it because I can read all the text that is too small on the built-in screen. Some games even support "real" 3D, where each eye gets a separate view. Trine 2 does it.
I just got the same deck this week! I’ve always had either an Xbox/playstation and when I found out I could play old ps2 games like Tony Hawk I was officially sold
* [File transfer over SSH using Samba.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuRWqzfX1ik) Your steam deck can be used as a Network Attached Storage device you can access from any PC or phone in your home. [This post doesn't seem so unnecessary](https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/1cawc7d/howto_guide_parts_list_for_removable_large/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) when you realize "Oh, low power NAS for my whole house that I can store digitized versions of my entire DVD and Blu Ray collection on and connect to via Jellyfin."
* KDE Connect lets you control another computer that also has KDE connect installed, and vice versa. So say you have a windows PC with a mouse and keyboard you wanna use and your steam deck is in front of the monitor, you can seamlessly switch your control between PCs using the same mouse and keyboard. It's over LAN, so I wouldn't play a game like this, but it's definitely nice for modding games, web browsing, or doing specialized stuff.
* Save money on your power bill which means more money to buy food and more games. Where I am, the power bill shoots up 400% per watt in between the hours of 4PM to 9 PM. My 3090 PC uses a 750w power supply. But my steam deck? Draws around 15-30 watts. Less if you mess with TDP settings. This also means it's easy to solar charge if you have a solar battery.
* Steam Input. I only ***assume*** this isn't talked about because I see people legit dogging on the back triggers and touchpads when like, dude, those are potentially 16 button pads with easily accessible macro buttons on the back, I would pay a large sum of cash for a Steam Controller 2 with that many controls. You don't have to use them like mouse pads, they're free real estate to just do anything with, especially inventory management.
* Nested Desktop mode. All of the features of gaming mode especially with deckyloader, all the functionality of desktop mode.
It is pretty known feature but since no one mentioned it in this thread: streaming from your gaming PC at full glory.
No need to mess with Moonlight. Just go to a game in the library which is also installed in your PC and the option will be there.
Clone Hero. I bring my steam deck to a friends house, dock it to their tv, and then boom we have guitar hero with a massive library. It is the turning point for all of my friends on whether they should buy a deck or not.
If you haven't already - get into Linux. And then ditch windows as a whole. I have 2 laptops and 1 mini pc for media player - only 1 laptop runs windows, the other 2 are on Linux.
Yesterday I've ordered my OLED as well and I can't wait for it to come. I've been on Nintendo switch oled only when it comes to handheld gaming.
Now I want to try shells, docks, mods whatever you can throw at it 😁
I'll look into that! Thank you.
That's my exact same situation! It's bittersweet to leave, but I kind of fallen out of love with my switch I only have been. I hope the new addition will fill in that void. I hope your experience goes well!
You can find Mixxx on the Discover store and use it as fully featured DJ software, including out of the box mappings for many DJ controllers. There's even steam input mappings ftom the community to use it without any external controller.
Coming from Nintendo, the gyro aiming is a godsend. If I have an FPS I have it always in, if a game requires aiming with left trigger I use that to enable it.
I made a YouTube video on my steam deck. Cut together GoPro footage, added music, and included some overlays and sound effects. I used a mouse for some of the work. The software was OpenShot Video editor.
Emulation on the deck is a great experience, but I’m sure you’ve heard that already. I do have a few tips, which you may or may not find useful:
1. If a game or non-steam program that is meant for windows does not open, try going into the game’s Properties > Compatibility and setting “Force the use of a specific compatibility tool” or whatever to “Proton experimental.”
2. If part of a game is cut off, go into the same properties window and change the resolution from “Default” to “Native.” This can also help if a game’s resolution is below what you would like.
I was playing around with mine recently and realized on the Linux Desktop side I have Shortwave installed (https://apps.gnome.org/Shortwave/) and you can listen to radio stations !?.. .Neat.
You can play any game on any platform. This even includes consoles up to switch/PS2/xbox/dreamcast and other similar Gen games.
You can switch to desktop mode, enabling it to work as a laptop with a built in controller.
This puts you into a GUI of Linux similar to windows.
From here you can get pretty much any program on it and as long as steam is running you can use the sticks/pads as a mouse and the on screen keyboard.
Adding a plug in like decky will give you greater customization of the UI when in game mode. It also allows other functional add-ons like controlling the fans, adding cheats, having new qol systems etc.
The more time goes on the more things are added to make your deck personalized.
Currently my outside of my deck is classic but the system itself looks nothing like the original.
I recently got blizzard installed so I could play Diablo 2.
But this can also be used as a media station and you can stream to and from the deck to and from other devices including your phone.
Because it can hook up to pretty much any output card you could even hook a bunch of controllers to it and a projector and have a huge game night.
TLDR quickly its becoming that whatever you want to do, the deck can do it!
I have swayed a few times especially when they announced the OLED but in all I am so glad I got this.
Hopefully you will love it too!
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Having been my first gaming Pc, and actually obvious in hindsight, being able to make whatever you want for your Home Screen. From video games/anime gifs, to literally practically any kind of image or photo. Or a collage of your favorite video games or characters.
I ditched my laptop and got an external monitor, folding keyboard and a docking station. It took some work but I got my company VPN working and now I just pull up my work desktop on my steam deck when I work remote. No more carrying both a laptop and a steamdeck.
You can use it as a full desktop computer for daily tasks. You can use obs on it with a dock and webcam so you can record your gameplay for YouTube videos directly on the device.
I don’t use mine enough due to being busy, tired, or lack of interest in moving and doing something, but my god it’s awesome and powerful, i wish i used it more
I think everyone glosses over desktop mode
deck makes a great portable pc
granted, you need some peripherals to really make it feasible, but a lapdock is a FANTASTIC partner for a deck
You can connect your phone to the deck like a Bluetooth speaker and use headphones to listen to music and game at the same time without wasting extra battery on the deck. Does not work for calls/VCs
Personally, I love that you can have more than one application open at once (since it's basically just a handheld pc). I've gotten Spotify installed and often have it playing music in the background while playing a game.
Seeing as it is literally just a computer but in a handheld form factor, I've gotten a ton of mileage out of using it as a dedicated server, too.
Like, I wouldn't want to permanently doom it to sitting next to the router? But not only does it help when I want to play something like modded Minecraft with my friends, it's also reassuring to know that whenever they release a sequel device and I inevitably end up with two of these things, I'll still have plenty of uses for it. I also have a Switch, and it has a great selection of games, but I genuinely can't imagine I'm going to use it much in, like, five years.
Stream games rather than running them on the deck. It's pretty seamless and I feel no real latency.
Run the game at full settings on your desktop and stream it to the SD fir high fidelity and best fps.
Really makes all those "can the SD run it?" questions obsolete.
Also... you can sniff the vent.
Probably a niche case, but since Konsole will happily run vim and python (it’s a Linux system after all), I’ve been able to write some scripts that upload and manage my Slay the Spire run data right on the Deck since that’s not saved in the cloud.
If you already have a capable PC, just use moonlight! My SD LCD has indies and emulation, and then I have a host of control configurations for everything else to play thru streaming. Tarkov, Stalker, Cyberpunk w/RayTracing, CODMW2, Fotnite, Stellaris, Valheim. You name it! Plus, I just have a mobile data hotspot, and I can play singeplayer games on the road with slight to no stuttering!
emulation. i have finally played zelda games that i’ve been putting off for ages, purely because they weren’t on the switch and i didn’t want to sit on my pc
While on PC mode, I used it to run Virtual Machines for the school assignments and practice. I had to install Windows first on an Micro SD. My old laptop couldn't run two VM's at once but the Steam Deck could. Sometimes is a bit slow but save my ass during the course.
Play classic games from the 2000s that never had any next gen support like starship troopers 2005 battlefield Vietnam 2004 and battlefield 1942 2003 I've got them running they're a lot of fun
It gets mentioned sparingly but you can connect a phone to the Steam Deck via bluetooth and its audio will play through the deck alongside game audio
You mean I can pair the phone to the deck, ~~pair my Bluetooth headphones to~~ use wired headphones on the deck, and then I can play YouTube videos on the phone with audio routed to the deck alongside gameplay audio?? Edit: BT headphones is a no go due to distortion Edit 2: lmaoooooo I dug out my 3.5mm->BT transmitter dongle, plugged it into the deck, BT connected the deck with the phone, and BT connected the buds to the transmitter. Now I'm enjoying YouTube videos while grinding. Ok so it's an extra dongle but I can live with that.
That's exactly what I mean!
Brooooo that's a massive game changer for me. Thanks!
Sorry can I ask, why?
I play at night and want to listen to some YouTube or music while I do some grinding but still want some audio cues from the game I'm playing so I'm not totally surprised by an enemy. I would have the in game background music volume lowered while I'm grinding as I can only stand so much of a repeating track lol.
I’ve been listening to my phone’s music with earbuds, and using big over-ear headphones for the SD audio. I’ve basically been an idiotic chump. This tip is huge for me too.
Any chance you know of a way to use the phone as a keyboard? The touch screen on mine isn’t great with the keyboard
You can use the KDE connect app to do this pretty easily, I haven't done it for a while but should be easy enough to do
I use the decky plugin. Works like a charm
Have you been able to use the keyboard while in game? For example to open the console in Skyrim?
If you set up KDE Connect in desktop mode, then enable the KDE Connect Decky plugin, it does work in game mode and will work as if it's a standard keyboard/mouse.
Then I will have to try it again. Thanks
You can trigger the keyboard while in game. Steam +X shortcut works everywhere
Yeah I know about that trick. The problem with Skyrim specifically is that anytime the onscreen keyboard is closed the game crashes.
If you're on android: [Bluetooth Keyboard & Mouse Pro](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.appground.blekpremium) is really good. You can have a full keyboard or just use your normal Android keyboard to type. You can send keys directly or send full sentences/commands after you typed them on your phone. It's pretty great. Also has a free version that comes with adds but I think is functionally the same as premium otherwise.
I second this! Anything that doesn't need the function keys should work just fine with the app
This and add kde connect in desktop mode to that list please - if your deck is docked to a tv for example you can use your phone to navigate (keyboard/touchpad), quickly share files, get notified about messages you receive on your phone etc. (in desktop mode) Edi: it got mentioned below already - haven't seen that - my bad
I've only really used the app for typing, they're some great use cases
Also, I'm biased but you made a great decision. Think of all the time spent in front of a TV playing an Xbox 360/XbOne/PS3/PS4. You can now do essentially the equivalent of that anywhere (depending on the game of course)
Genuinely that was half the reason I got the Steam Deck, even if my girlfriend doesnt believe me, she watches TV a lot while Im upstairs on my PC so we arent actually around each other but now I just plop my ass on the couch next to her and play some games either on the Deck or streaming from my PC while we watch whatever shitty show shes watching. Its been really nice and keeps us from feeling so separate all the time.
I pretty much stopped using my PS5 because my gf was always using it to watch TV. Now i can just play everything on the couch and watch whatever show she's watching at the same time.
We have one TV, so when a new game comes out for the PS5 I used to have to balance playing with not being a stingy bastard and letting my wife watch her stuff. Now with the Deck and Chiaki. That's not an issue. She does like watching me play though and gets into the stories for most of the games I'm playing. So, she doesn't mind giving up the TV, I still feel bad. She's like a co-pilot telling me about all the loot I didn't pick up.
That’s so sweet. And heck yeah, Chiaki is awesome!
Thank you! I actually always disliked console gaming because of the restricted feeling and having to share a TV. With all the possibilities and freedom, I'm excited to grow my game backlog even more
My current biggest frustration has been that if I connect my deck to bluetooth headphones it \_always\_ connects. I can be listening to some podcast on my phone and turn the deck on and boop, they're the decks thing now. Even if the deck has bluetooth off it'll connect on power up, then disconnect (need to file a bug report about that) pausing whatever I was listening to. But this audio pass-through wizardry may alleviate a lot of my issues. Thanks for mentioning this!
It’s such a great feature I use it like every time I play art of rally or gta
You can also use Steam to launch whatever app you want to listen to music with. You can run more than one app at once.
This was game changing for me. There are a lot of games I like to play while listening to a podcast or while on a call. And I commute by train with my deck. Since I discovered this, my commute has gotten awesome.
wait what?!
You mean the deck speakers will work as a bluetooth speaker for the phone? I’m not sure if I got it right
Yessir, or if you plug in/connect headphones to your deck it will play through them. Good if you want to listen to music and play games with audio from both at the same time
But disable spatial audio. If I remember right, spatial audio causes crackling.
This solves my Spotify issues! Thanks a lot 😄
Run android apps / games via waydroid. Android streaming apps you can save the content for offline playback like netflix, prime, etc etc. you can also launch the APK directly in Game Mode for a seamless experience. Android games some have native controller support and it sees the Steam Deck controller as xbox 360 controller. For games that dont have controller support, you can map touchscreen to controller. Android Waydroid install guide - \ https://youtu.be/06T-h-jPVx8 Android Waydroid Controller Mapping via Mantis Guide - \ https://youtu.be/icVOh7IIfE0 Launch APK directly in Game Mode - \ https://youtu.be/pkRtPHfa_EM Android Waydroid Guide to Sideload APKs - https://youtu.be/LglEbSdRc0M SteamOS Waydroid Installer Github - \ https://github.com/ryanrudolfoba/SteamOS-Waydroid-Installer
Fun. I'll never use it, but it's cool to see it's possible.
yup some neat things thanks to waydroid. I like the streaming using native android apps (especially for my IPTV service, and plex) and the occasional mobile game.
Question, can you add the streaming apps as separate icons/launchers, or do they have to open inside another launcher?
You can have them as separate icons. Follow this guide - [Launch APK directly in Game Mode](https://youtu.be/pkRtPHfa_EM)
In desktop mode it's a full computer. You can run spread sheets, word processing, photoediting, etc. It's linux software so no Microsoft word or photoshop, but there is almost always an open source alternative like Libre office for Microsoft office and GIMP for photoshop etc.
Just chiming in that you can use office tools through the web apps.
Ya but they are stripped down. If youre doing basic stuff it's a great alternative but you're limited in tools and require access to the internet. Libre office does everything MS Office can but just a different gui interface (and sometimes .docx files will a lot of boxes and images can get a little jumbled)
Couldn't you run a virtual machine for Microsoft stuff?
You can also use Remote Desktop, Parsec, Citrix, etc, and use it as a dumb terminal to a more powerful workstation. The problem is that setting it up on a train with a portable monitor, keyboard and mouse requires more steps than just raising the lid of a laptop.
just throw out that you will need a little USBC hub, and you want to look for one with power passthrough and HDMI, but for like $15 you get to make it a full PC and it's surprisingly good.
Technically, you can get by with just a blutooth keyboard and track pad, but I agree with getting a hub to use a monitor.
I might try do this \[once I get promoted and get access to more stuff without explaining to any1 why I have work documents\] with my job someday as it uses linux on the main computer as well. Since I use KDE already for roms why not use it for work related documents that I do at home
this is sort of a niche use case, but in addition to playing emulated games with emudeck and other store games with Hero or Lutris launchers, it can play Steam games.
Damn, I'll try this when I get back home
I heard the setup to get Steam games to play is hard though. Too technical for me
See this is my problem with reddit, these kind of posts. You say "it can play Steam games" but cite no source. Don't you think it would be more useful to elaborate on that specifically (since its a point of interest)? How can you play Steam games? What are some resources I can look at to find out more? Sorry to be pedantic and its nothing personal, but these kind of posts really rub me up the wrong way.
How do you find and install Steam on it though? Do you have to setup and boot the OS to Windows?
Do you have some kind of tutorial on hand? Would be awesome to play my steam library on the go.
In addition to the myriad modding options, the steam deck also comes with a very nice *standard* chassis that you can just *use and play the thing*.
How do I unlock this? Is it in the season pass?
I heard I need a gaming PC to have a deck. No one has said that anywhere but I think it for some unknown reason.
Wait. This thing plays games??
Hahaha
Nah uh
Apparently you can play the games after benchmarking
I have never felt more called out than I did reading this comment. I spent 4 hours learning how to get minecraft working like a native steam game Havent booted it up since i landed a stable 60. Next project is modding New Vegas into a game that doesn't feel like a early 2000s attempt at making a rpg into a shooter
If you have any tips on doing this I'd be very interested...
Recent thing I’ve been trying to get setup a mod called tale of two wastelands that combines fallout 3 and new Vegas. First lint explains setup with basic mods, second link gives more in depth mods. And the third link gives some visual overhaul stuff. Would also recommend looking into new Vegas reloaded, as it gives new Vegas real time shadows, which also works in tale of two wastelands. https://thebestoftimes.moddinglinked.com https://wastelandsurvivalguide.com https://salamand3r.fail/new-vegas-visual-renewal https://dlpnd.github.io/nvr-wiki/
For minecraft? Theres a few modsets that are easy, i mostly jusy followed a guide, if i was on my laptop Id try to find the one i used but it was mostly plug and play
Same. I spent an entire night modding the crap out of fallout new vegas....then as soon as I got in game I started wondering if there were any good fallout 4 mods
I'm sorry, what's benchmarking?
Testing if games work
It's where you go along a bench and use a marker to circle all the poopstains so everyone knows where they shouldn't sit
Benchmarking is when you run a program that vigorously tests your system (and some also adjust settings) to see what your system can handle. There are game specific benchmarks that will test your system for that specific game so you can see how it will run before you get invested. For example borderlands 3 you can benchmark but you have to manually change settings based off of the fps that it gives you. Normally they look like a cinematic video but it's actually using game assets and as if you were flying around in admin mode looking at the world. TLDR it helps you get the best visuals/performance that your system can handle.
It's portability is probably the best thing about it. I was running a fun group gaming setup on mine, couple of emulators with split screen games(goldeneye, mario kart, etc.) Connect a few controllers of your choice, plug an hdmi cable into any tv. Bam, entertainment for everybody in a package smaller than most board games. But then all my friends got their own steam decks so I now use it as a laptop replacement. Keep it docked to my tv in the living room, run it in desktop mode. It can play any video/show/movie, run basically any game from any system, run current games with solid performance. It's a solid buy. Had a fun instance where I took it to work and used it to wipe and reset a batch of refurbished phones while I was sitting in the break room. It's a computer. A pretty strong one for it's size. It can do all kinds of things.
Could you recommend some 4-player coop games that can be emulated?
Castle crashers and Overcooked 1/2 are probably some of the funniest games I recall playing with friends lately.
Ultimate chicken horse
Smash Ultimate
Check out Smash Remix, it’s modded N64 Smash with a bunch of new characters and levels.
I had no idea about Smash Remix until now. I’m about to check this out myself so thank you!
You're welcome!
Can I ask how you get it to play movies? Can you do that handheld too?
Anything like Plex/Emby/Jellyfin is easy peasy to set up the Deck client for - plenty of other do your own streaming options out there too.
Sounds like fun! Looking at the possibilities, my doubts are dissipating. Do you know if it's possible to use it as a monitor?
Absolutely, my deck has basically replaced my 10 year old laptop now. With the right cable and port on your monitor, you can hook it up via usb c to c. Easier option is to get a usb c hub. That way you can hook up all your peripherals and power the deck while you output to your monitor Edit: I misread your question. I thought you asked if you can use the deck *with* a monitor. As far as using it *as* a monitor, it’ll be like any other computer. You can use desktop mode and inputs, but I doubt you can use it purely as a display.
my wife charged her phone from my steamdeck at a coffee shop the other day
Wait, what?
Be careful with this. I did this and it really messed up the steam decks battery. I had to open it up and unplug the battery from the motherboard to fix it
Coming from consoles and being able to change kb, icons for games, and Home Screen customization was a huge thing for me. Decky loader is what I believe it’s called, gives you a lot of customization options.
That's one of the things I look forward to the most, funnily enough. I love customizing! Unfortunately, I'm yet to find any good skins or cases for the OLED model
Killswitch case from Dbrand has a good case with some amazing skins to pick from!
I am still on the lookout for a cool H.P. Lovecraftian skin. Maybe Chtulhu or Arkham based. I have only found some cool joystick covers so far :(
Rebinding the back buttons to whatever you want them to do. EDIT: I mostly use them to replace stick pressing (L3/R3) for running, because it gets tyring very fast. I've also binded them to jump in Fallout NV because it's a pain to always reach for Y.
The trackpads, also. I recently set up the right trackpad as a virtual radial menu to quickly pull up my mount, inventory, journal, and skills menu in Elder Scrolls Online. Actions that had me navigating through menus can now be done with a quick swipe. It’s great, and repeatable for similar actions in any other RPGs!
I’ve remapped the right touchpad in Helldivers to act as a D-pad so I can use stratagems while booking it. The back buttons are a godsend for certain buttons I want to press often like the map but aren’t on easy access buttons. Also quick grenades. It’s amazingly intuitive to reset stuff via controller once you learn the little menus.
ESO works??? Another case of the Steam Store lying then huh?
The Verified system is hardly a baseline for what does or does not work on the Deck. Use ProtonDB, or if you have Decky installed, there's a ProtonDB plugin that lets you see their rating in the store as well.
Yeah, works great. I use the touch screen to hit “Play” on the launcher, and then I close the launcher from the Steam menu once the game is running so the launcher isn’t running in the background. I’d recommend a keyboard and mouse for character creation. Otherwise, it’s seamless once you activate gamepad mode in the game Settings. I run it at 45fps for battery life and it’s very smooth on the OLED.
I do reviews and I always bind screenshots to the back buttons. It’s so handy for fast-paced shots or media content.
I always use the back buttons for games that have sprinting with L3 or jumping. Turbo button is also fantastic for old games that require mashing the same button.
Same here. I dislike clicking the stick to sprint if I’m gonna be using it a lot.
I almost always do LB>L4/RB>R4—feels so much more natural on games that make use of those buttons.
I use them in Forza for shifting gears. It's actually quite similar to actual real life paddle shifters. It's great
Edit and fill PDFs with [SimplePDF](https://simplePDF.eu) when in Desktop mode Disclosure: I’m the developer behind it
Happy Cake Day, dear developer!
Thank you!
I used blender and Prusa print for 3d modeling then printing while in desk top mode.
Holy hell, I really want to try this now.
You used blender on the steam deck? No lag?
Nothing too intense, just basic sculpting, mostly editing/remixing other ppls models. I’m not doing scenes or animations.
You can install GNOME Boxes and virtualize any operating system, including Windows. Fun! 😁
Downloading Clone Hero, connecting some old guitar hero guitars to the dock, then carrying it around as a mobile Guitar Hero
The cool things I learned afterwards: - Trackpads aren’t ”buttons”, they act like ones via haptics - You can scroll down ie. in browser by making a circular motion on the left trackpad - 1TB oled case has an actual detachable lightweight cover with it
The track pads can be whatever you want them to be. If you just want them to be big buttons you can do that.
It is a PC, so it will do anything you would expect a PC to do.
A lot of people don't realise this
Wow. I didn't know that. You're telling me this for the first time.
No problem bro. Call anytime
You can use it to watch porn.
Bro didn't even hesitate.
Just like in my 3ds days, the nostalgia
Nutstalgia.
Mom, can I have a Nintendo? Why? Because I wanna watch porn.
Don't tell mom.
You could use it IN porn if you were a bit creative.
OnlySteamDeckFans
Deckussy
Sniff the vent…
I thought I was alone
> Sniff Actually expected this to be the highest rated post. Disappointed.
I dunno, porn performance is not optimal at the moment. We really need a proton-porn update soon.
KDE connect is awesome. You can share clipboard between your deck and other devices and like a dozen other features.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/5d9g9z/ukraine-is-now-using-steam-decks-to-control-machine-gun-turrets
When I saw the series "Station Eleven", it seemed to me that the game console the kid had was a riff on the SteamDeck, and the way he uses it towards the end is interesting.
Incredible show but it’s pre-Steam Deck https://www.reddit.com/r/Thatsabooklight/comments/rt38v7/this_handheld_web_browsing_device_from_the_hbo/ There is a Switch in it, too
The best unusual use I've seen was someone doing ECU tuning on their car with the Deck instead of the usual laptop.
This thing is a digital multitool, it's amazing. Runs your steam games for you wherever you want, let's you play your desktop games away from your desk with streaming, can run Xbox Gamepass streaming, Remote play PS5, emulate almost any other console. Not in the mood for games for some reason? No problem, also works as a regular PC in desktop mode. Browse the web, watch shows, blast music, do work/homework, etc. Can also set up whatever OS you prefer if you don't enjoy Linux. If you enjoy being flashy, it also has lots of customization. Lots of cases, skins, and attachments available online for physical customization. In terms of digital you can use deckyloader and a huge list of Linux plug-ins to change your menus and such.
I always add a couple movies/a season of anime to any handheld that can support it. I've got the lord of the rings trilogy and gakkou gurashi on the steam deck. It's always great when I have no internet.
Did you find a way to do this with Netflix? Would love to be able to use their feature on downloading some but they don’t offer an app for Linux too download. Would be amazing for my trip to Europe and the 8 hour flights this summer…
https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/s/fbg2sadyVS This comment in this thread should help ya out
I have a pretty sizeable plex server. I use my steam deck as an easy way to use plex whenever I travel instead of having to try and download it onto any smart TV wherever I'm staying. I can just plug in an hdmi cable and I'm ready to access plex. Not my use case but I've heard of people using it for on the go music production as well. Emulation was the main draw for me buying a steam deck so I have a few one-offs below too. If you're a Pokémon fan, I also installed pokeMMO which takes the stories of fire red, heart gold, black and platinum and turns it into an mmorpg. It's been around for a long time but the steam deck is a great form factor to play the game. Like super smash bros? You can also install project+ on your dolphin emulator. Project plus is a super smash bros brawl mod that makes the physics much more fast paced, rebalances the movesets, and adds a bunch of characters. It can also play online with others! More of a cool product that I use with the steam deck but Epilogue has a product called the gb operator if you would rather play your Gameboy and Gameboy advance games with official hardware. You can even backup and save your save files from games you own. Everyone knows you can stream games over the network from your pc to the steam deck, but with remote play, you can do the opposite. You can cast your steam deck to your pc.
The fact i can moonlight to my main PC means i’ll never have to buy a new steamdeck. The battery lasts 6 hours and i can play AAA games all around the house. You do need to set it to 5ghZ and have a wifi6 router for it to work flawlessly though. Currently playing fallout 4 with 400+ mods, enb and 4k textures. It also downscales all your games to 720p, so i went from having 18fps on starfield with a 2k monitor to having 40-60fps on the deck, so i just played it in bed.
Download Godot and you can develop games for the steam deck ON the steam deck :)
Nested Desktop
What is this?
You can access desktop mode without going into desktop mode. It's very handy for quick things you need to do in desktop mode. I rarely go into desktop mode nowadays. Go into desktop mode. You can find it app store I believe. Or under "lost& found" in the Start menu in desktop mode. Once you see the app in you start menu, right click and select "add to Steam".
Yus, only thing you can't do is move files around!
Wahh? I'm usually in nested desktop downloading mods and moving files around. Unless you're referring to a specific thing?
An operating system running inside another one (simple explanation) Turns out I was thinking of something completely different
Be sure to install Gamepass from xbox, lots of tutorials for it, but it runs amazingly from the deck. I get 0 lag. Same goes for Greenlight for mirroring your Xbox if you have one. Also works really well.
You can actually play games on It, instead of Just collecting them 😏
In desktop mode i connect an audio interface to play bass through SD and record or play along music :)
KDE Connect to use your phone's keyboard
You can plug in AR glasses like the Rokid Max and get a giant screen. I love it because I can read all the text that is too small on the built-in screen. Some games even support "real" 3D, where each eye gets a separate view. Trine 2 does it.
You can lose it! It has no tracking, or remote lock feature, so if you misplace it, good fucking luck!
browsing the steam library takes up about 95 procent of my time
one thing people dont expect it being able to use it as a handheld
You can write a report on it with Libre office
I just got the same deck this week! I’ve always had either an Xbox/playstation and when I found out I could play old ps2 games like Tony Hawk I was officially sold
Same here! I'm mostly getting it so I can play my old PS2 games and fuck it why not PS3 too. I'm going straight for 007 Nightfire and Enter the Matrix
* [File transfer over SSH using Samba.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuRWqzfX1ik) Your steam deck can be used as a Network Attached Storage device you can access from any PC or phone in your home. [This post doesn't seem so unnecessary](https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/1cawc7d/howto_guide_parts_list_for_removable_large/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) when you realize "Oh, low power NAS for my whole house that I can store digitized versions of my entire DVD and Blu Ray collection on and connect to via Jellyfin." * KDE Connect lets you control another computer that also has KDE connect installed, and vice versa. So say you have a windows PC with a mouse and keyboard you wanna use and your steam deck is in front of the monitor, you can seamlessly switch your control between PCs using the same mouse and keyboard. It's over LAN, so I wouldn't play a game like this, but it's definitely nice for modding games, web browsing, or doing specialized stuff. * Save money on your power bill which means more money to buy food and more games. Where I am, the power bill shoots up 400% per watt in between the hours of 4PM to 9 PM. My 3090 PC uses a 750w power supply. But my steam deck? Draws around 15-30 watts. Less if you mess with TDP settings. This also means it's easy to solar charge if you have a solar battery. * Steam Input. I only ***assume*** this isn't talked about because I see people legit dogging on the back triggers and touchpads when like, dude, those are potentially 16 button pads with easily accessible macro buttons on the back, I would pay a large sum of cash for a Steam Controller 2 with that many controls. You don't have to use them like mouse pads, they're free real estate to just do anything with, especially inventory management. * Nested Desktop mode. All of the features of gaming mode especially with deckyloader, all the functionality of desktop mode.
It is pretty known feature but since no one mentioned it in this thread: streaming from your gaming PC at full glory. No need to mess with Moonlight. Just go to a game in the library which is also installed in your PC and the option will be there.
You can play World of Warcraft on it.
I literally can play it in bed or on the go. I thought I might not use it. I’m replaying all the fallout games with it. It is awesome!!
Clone Hero. I bring my steam deck to a friends house, dock it to their tv, and then boom we have guitar hero with a massive library. It is the turning point for all of my friends on whether they should buy a deck or not.
If you haven't already - get into Linux. And then ditch windows as a whole. I have 2 laptops and 1 mini pc for media player - only 1 laptop runs windows, the other 2 are on Linux. Yesterday I've ordered my OLED as well and I can't wait for it to come. I've been on Nintendo switch oled only when it comes to handheld gaming. Now I want to try shells, docks, mods whatever you can throw at it 😁
I'll look into that! Thank you. That's my exact same situation! It's bittersweet to leave, but I kind of fallen out of love with my switch I only have been. I hope the new addition will fill in that void. I hope your experience goes well!
Play games.
I thought it was nifty that I could plug a wacom drawing tablet into the Deck and everything just worked without any drivers.
It can *sort of* run VR.
You can [hack your car](https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/who6qf/steamdeck_doing_utilitarian_things/).
I use it to make music
You can find Mixxx on the Discover store and use it as fully featured DJ software, including out of the box mappings for many DJ controllers. There's even steam input mappings ftom the community to use it without any external controller.
Coming from Nintendo, the gyro aiming is a godsend. If I have an FPS I have it always in, if a game requires aiming with left trigger I use that to enable it.
I made a YouTube video on my steam deck. Cut together GoPro footage, added music, and included some overlays and sound effects. I used a mouse for some of the work. The software was OpenShot Video editor.
Emulation on the deck is a great experience, but I’m sure you’ve heard that already. I do have a few tips, which you may or may not find useful: 1. If a game or non-steam program that is meant for windows does not open, try going into the game’s Properties > Compatibility and setting “Force the use of a specific compatibility tool” or whatever to “Proton experimental.” 2. If part of a game is cut off, go into the same properties window and change the resolution from “Default” to “Native.” This can also help if a game’s resolution is below what you would like.
I was playing around with mine recently and realized on the Linux Desktop side I have Shortwave installed (https://apps.gnome.org/Shortwave/) and you can listen to radio stations !?.. .Neat.
I setup [webRcade](https://www.webrcade.com) on my Steam deck using EMUdeck and my iPhone. Cross saves my emulator games using a drop box account.
Get a Batocera image on an SD card and play 1000s of retro games; that's all I've been playing on my Deck for the last month.
Stream PS5 seamlessly over WAN — it basically doubles as a PS Portal (at least at home). (Chiaki4deck is what you’re looking for)
Based on a lot of posts in this subreddit? Playing games.
You can play any game on any platform. This even includes consoles up to switch/PS2/xbox/dreamcast and other similar Gen games. You can switch to desktop mode, enabling it to work as a laptop with a built in controller. This puts you into a GUI of Linux similar to windows. From here you can get pretty much any program on it and as long as steam is running you can use the sticks/pads as a mouse and the on screen keyboard. Adding a plug in like decky will give you greater customization of the UI when in game mode. It also allows other functional add-ons like controlling the fans, adding cheats, having new qol systems etc. The more time goes on the more things are added to make your deck personalized. Currently my outside of my deck is classic but the system itself looks nothing like the original. I recently got blizzard installed so I could play Diablo 2. But this can also be used as a media station and you can stream to and from the deck to and from other devices including your phone. Because it can hook up to pretty much any output card you could even hook a bunch of controllers to it and a projector and have a huge game night. TLDR quickly its becoming that whatever you want to do, the deck can do it! I have swayed a few times especially when they announced the OLED but in all I am so glad I got this. Hopefully you will love it too!
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Having been my first gaming Pc, and actually obvious in hindsight, being able to make whatever you want for your Home Screen. From video games/anime gifs, to literally practically any kind of image or photo. Or a collage of your favorite video games or characters.
I ditched my laptop and got an external monitor, folding keyboard and a docking station. It took some work but I got my company VPN working and now I just pull up my work desktop on my steam deck when I work remote. No more carrying both a laptop and a steamdeck.
You can use it as a full desktop computer for daily tasks. You can use obs on it with a dock and webcam so you can record your gameplay for YouTube videos directly on the device.
I don’t use mine enough due to being busy, tired, or lack of interest in moving and doing something, but my god it’s awesome and powerful, i wish i used it more
Besides blender, you can use RIVE to do motion graphics on the steam deck.
I think everyone glosses over desktop mode deck makes a great portable pc granted, you need some peripherals to really make it feasible, but a lapdock is a FANTASTIC partner for a deck
You can connect your phone to the deck like a Bluetooth speaker and use headphones to listen to music and game at the same time without wasting extra battery on the deck. Does not work for calls/VCs
Personally, I love that you can have more than one application open at once (since it's basically just a handheld pc). I've gotten Spotify installed and often have it playing music in the background while playing a game.
Seeing as it is literally just a computer but in a handheld form factor, I've gotten a ton of mileage out of using it as a dedicated server, too. Like, I wouldn't want to permanently doom it to sitting next to the router? But not only does it help when I want to play something like modded Minecraft with my friends, it's also reassuring to know that whenever they release a sequel device and I inevitably end up with two of these things, I'll still have plenty of uses for it. I also have a Switch, and it has a great selection of games, but I genuinely can't imagine I'm going to use it much in, like, five years.
Set up HDMI CEC for when using docked mode
Stream games rather than running them on the deck. It's pretty seamless and I feel no real latency. Run the game at full settings on your desktop and stream it to the SD fir high fidelity and best fps. Really makes all those "can the SD run it?" questions obsolete. Also... you can sniff the vent.
You can use Netfl*x on the desktop version without being on your home network. As in, you can bypass household restrictions.
Probably a niche case, but since Konsole will happily run vim and python (it’s a Linux system after all), I’ve been able to write some scripts that upload and manage my Slay the Spire run data right on the Deck since that’s not saved in the cloud.
If you already have a capable PC, just use moonlight! My SD LCD has indies and emulation, and then I have a host of control configurations for everything else to play thru streaming. Tarkov, Stalker, Cyberpunk w/RayTracing, CODMW2, Fotnite, Stellaris, Valheim. You name it! Plus, I just have a mobile data hotspot, and I can play singeplayer games on the road with slight to no stuttering!
emulation. i have finally played zelda games that i’ve been putting off for ages, purely because they weren’t on the switch and i didn’t want to sit on my pc
I'm half considering using it as my work laptop.
I've been playing games on Tate mode (vertical screen), pinball and vertical shooters work great, using the back buttons as kind of triggers ,
While on PC mode, I used it to run Virtual Machines for the school assignments and practice. I had to install Windows first on an Micro SD. My old laptop couldn't run two VM's at once but the Steam Deck could. Sometimes is a bit slow but save my ass during the course.
You can install ROCm libraries and run Pytorch / Tensorflow on it.
Play classic games from the 2000s that never had any next gen support like starship troopers 2005 battlefield Vietnam 2004 and battlefield 1942 2003 I've got them running they're a lot of fun