1
2
3
 
 

These are lists of some tools and software that are useful for Steam Deck and can enhance your experience with it, as well as all the websites and other such Steam Deck resources I know.

I made these lists for the wiki on Reddit's SteamDeck sub and I thought it was a pretty useful to keep around. I wanted to dump them here for everybody to preserve them and to maybe find a new home for this Steam Deck resource.

Let me know what you think.

List of tools and homebrew

Below is a list of tools and homebrew that can enhance your experience with the Steam Deck. Since the Steam Deck offers most things that a normal Linux desktop environment can, tools are included that can be found in the Discover store (including from non-default repositories) and have proven to be an especially good fit.

Emulation and non-steam games

  • BCML Installer for Steam Deck

    BCML (a modding tool voor Breath of the Wild for WiiU) can be difficult to get running on Steam Deck, because it uses an immutable filesystem and the version of Python installed by default is higher than what BCML supports. This script helps people install it.

  • BoilR

    Add non-steam games to your steam library.

  • Emudeck

    This script automates downloading, installing and setting up a large list of different emulators.

  • EmulationStation DE

    A graphical and themeable emulator front-end that allows you to access all your favorite games in one place, which is installed by Emudeck and Retrodeck, but can also be used by itself.

  • Mod Organizer 2 Linux Installer

    This project aims to make modding and playing Bethesda games on Linux as easy as possible. It does that by providing installers which automatically setup a working experience for the user.

  • Retrodeck

    A flatpak application containing a large list of different emulators.

  • SGDBoop

    A tool that automatically applies assets from SteamGridDB directly to your Steam library, removing the need to download and set them manually.

  • Steam ROM Manager

    Steam ROM Manager is a super flexible tool for adding non-Steam games to steam in bulk and managing their artwork assets. It can be installed with Emudeck, but can also be used by itself.

File management

  • Deck Drive Manager

    Copy Steam Games From Your PC to Your Steam Deck SD Card.

  • Disk Usage Analyzer

    A tool for managing your used and free space.

  • Firelight

    Filelight is an application to visualize the disk usage on your computer by showing folders using an easy-to-understand view of concentric rings. Filelight makes it simple to free up space!

  • gdu

    If you prefer the command-line, gdu is a fast disk usage analyzer with console interface, written in Go.

  • Shortix

    A script that creates human readable symlinks for Proton game prefixes. Reddit release post

  • Steam Deck Shader Cache Killer

    Script to Purge The Steam Decks Shader Cache/ Compat Data. Reddit release post

File transfer and synchronization

  • Deck Screenshot Sync

    A work-in-progress auto-uploader for screenshots made from the Deck onto your PC or phone. Reddit post by u/ Xinerki.

  • MEGASync

    Easy automated syncing between your computers and your MEGA Cloud Drive.

  • OpenCloudSaves

    Open Cloud Saves is an open source application for managing your saves games across Windows, MacOs, and Linux (including SteamOS).

  • Syncthing

    Syncthing is a file synchronization tool like Dropbox, except that it can work with your own machines and without a server. This can be very useful for keeping non-Steam and emulator save games in sync or backed up.

  • Warpinator

    Send and Receive Files across the Network

Launchers

  • Alfea

    Alfae is an experimental project to launch GOG/Local/ItchIo/Epic/Bottles Games in an organised fashion. Also can add games to deck UI.

  • Bottles

    Runs Windows software on Linux with Bottles.

  • Heroic Game Launcher

    Heroic is an Open Source Games Launcher. Right now it supports launching games from the Epic Games Store using Legendary and GOG Games using our custom implementation with gogdl.

  • Lutris

    Lutris is a video game preservation platform aiming to keep your video game collection up and running for the years to come.

  • NonSteamLaunchers

    Installs the latest GE-Proton and several non-Steam launchers under one Proton prefix folder and adds them to your Steam library. Reddit release post for v2.7

  • Steam Tinker Launch

    Steam Tinker Launch is a versatile Linux wrapper tool for use with the Steam client which allows for easy graphical configuration of game tools, such as GameScope, MangoHud, modding tools and a bunch more. It supports both games using Proton and native Linux games, and works on both X11 and Wayland.

Plugins and mods

Remote access and game streaming

  • AnyDesk

    AnyDesk allows you to connect to your Steam Deck desktop remotely, like TeamViewer.

  • Barrier

    Share mouse and keyboard over the local network.

  • Chiaki4deck

    Chiaki4deck is a fork of Chiaki, adding features for the Steam Deck. It is a free and Open Source Client for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 Remote Play. It can be used to play in real time on a PlayStation as long as there is a network connection.

  • Deskreen

    Turn any device into a secondary screen for your computer. Streams your Steam Deck screen to a browser on another machine.

  • KDE Connect

    Enables communication between all your devices.

  • Moonlight

    Moonlight allows you to play your PC games on almost any device, whether you're in another room or miles away from your gaming rig.

  • NoMachine

    Like AnyDesk, allows remote desktop connections to your Steam Deck. Disabling read-only on the filesystem is required to install, but otherwise works very well.

  • Remote Mouse

    Use your phone as a keyboard and mouse, and copy/paste between devices (apps for iOS and for Android available.) Gained improved support for Linux and Steam Deck in December 2022.

  • Rustdesk

    An open source TeamViewer alternative, remote desktop software. Works out of the box, no configuration required. Use the AppImage from the nightly build.

  • Steam Link

    Connect your Steam Deck or other Steam devices with each other for remote streaming.

  • Sunshine

    Sunshine is a self-hosted game stream host for Moonlight, offering low latency, cloud gaming server capabilities.

  • Unified Remote

    Remote control app for your Steam Deck. Turn your smartphone into a universal remote control, control mouse, keyboard and more.

Other tools

  • Boot Video Randomizer

    Replace the Deck startup video file with a file of the user's choice. Randomizer provides two features: individual random set and on-boot randomization. Reddit release post

  • CoreKeyboard

    CoreKeyboard is an X11-based virtual keyboard. It has the advantage over Valve's built-in keyboard to offer access to special keys such as Ctrl, Alt and function keys.

  • Great on Deck browser extension for Chrome or Firefox

    See what games are verified for the Steam Deck and which medal they have on ProtonDB in the Steam store.

  • Ludusavi

    Backup tool for PC game saves. Here is the Reddit release post.

  • ProtonUp-Qt

    Install and manage Wine- and Proton-based compatibility tools for Steam and Lutris with this graphical user interface.

  • Qbert

    Qbert generates a root overlay where you can install whatever software you need without messing your filesystem. NOTICE: something is broken atm, Qbert is not creating a correct overlay so basically the software is not working as intended.

  • SC Controller

    User-mode driver, mapper and GTK3 based GUI for Steam Controller, DS4 and similar controllers. Steam Deck support added in version 0.4.8.8.

  • Steam Deck SD Card Scanner

    An application to help you keep track of the different games you have on your SD Cards. If you ever found yourself wondering if you already have a game installed on a different SD Card then this is for you. Reddit post by u/ddotthomas.

  • Steam Deck Utilities by CryoByte33

    Scripts and utilities to enhance the Steam Deck experience, particularly performance.

  • Steam Shortcut Editor

    Allows you to modify the shortcuts file quickly and set game name to be the appid, so you have access to community controls. Link to Reddit post

  • Vibrant Deck CLI

    A simple command line utility to tweak the screen saturation of the Steam Deck.

List of Steam Deck-related websites

Here is a collection of websites that offer information, guides and news about the Steam Deck.

Official Valve sites

Linux and Steam Deck gaming sites

  • ProtonDB

    Crowdsourced Linux and Steam Deck game compatibility reports.

  • GamingOnLinux

    GamingOnLinux deals with games on Linux (which the Steam Deck runs) in general, but has consistently reported on Steam Deck-related news.

  • Linux Gaming Central

    Linux Gaming Central is dedicated to giving you news on the Linux gaming front. The link above points to the "Steam Deck" tag on the site.

  • Boiling Steam

    Boiling Steam is dedicated to covering the world of PC Linux Gaming since 2014. The site often reports on the Steam Deck, as the search results the link points to show.

  • Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?

    A comprehensive and crowd-sourced list of games using anti-cheats and their compatibility with GNU/Linux or Wine/Proton.

Steam Deck community sites

  • Steam Deck Community

    An independent Steam Deck Forum.

  • Steam Deck Life

    A Steam Deck blog for the latest news, tips and tricks and more.

  • Steam Deck HQ

    A web site with game reviews with optimal configuration, tips and guides, and news.

  • ShareDeck

    An unofficial site to find and share Steam Deck performance configurations.

  • overkill.wtf

    overkill.wtf primarily focuses on the Steam Deck, with a hint of Switch, PC gaming and whatever else we find interesting at that moment--but mostly Steam Deck.

  • Great on Deck

    Unofficial Steam Deck compatibility website. Verification, performance reviews and tweaks for Steam Deck. Emulation guides, Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Connect games and more.

  • CheckMyDeck

    Check Steam Deck compatibility of your Steam library.

  • sdeck.wiki

    A list of Steam Deck resources.

  • Steam Deck Guide

    A guide covering Steam Deck, including the applications and tools that will make you better and more efficient with your Steam Deck device.

  • Steam Deck Repo

    A website where you can upload and share community-made Steam Deck boot videos (plus in the future, other things like themes and an app to automatically apply them to the Steam Deck)!

  • Steam Deck Linux Wiki

    This wiki aims to be a useful resource for those that want to explore the desktop side of the Steam Deck.

  • Steam Deck Guide

    This guide contains all kinds of useful tips that were found online. Hopefully it will help you use your Steam Deck to the fullest.

List of Steam Deck-related subreddits and Lemmy communities

These other places covering the Steam Deck also exist on sites like Reddit and Lemmy:

  • r/SteamDeck
  • r/DeckSupport
  • r/steamdeck_linux
  • r/SteamDeckBootVids
  • r/SteamDeckEmulation
  • r/SteamDeckGames
  • r/SteamDeckModded
  • r/SteamDeckMods
  • r/SteamDeckTech
  • r/SteamDeckTinker
  • r/SteamDeckTricks
  • r/SteamDeckWins
  • r/SteamDeckYuzu
  • r/SteamOS
  • r/WindowsOnDeck
  • r/BestOfSteamDeck
  • r/linux_gaming

List of Steam Deck-related podcasts

If you enjoy listening to Steam Deck news in your car or elsewhere, these podcasts might be for you:

List of Steam Deck-related Discord servers

Get together and discuss the Steam Deck on these Discord servers:

  • Steam Deck Discord

    The main Steam Deck Discord, not affiliated with Valve, Valve employees are known to lurk on the Discord.

  • Steam Deck Homebrew

    Steam Deck Homebrew Discord server, with, among others, a channel for Decky support.

4
 
 

I have seen a lot of people argue you must use a 45W output power bank, probably because it's the charger output Valve recommends for continuous play.

I have yet to pass 30W during play (admittedly I play with 100℅ brightness, not 120%). It will charge at a miserably slow rate, but if I start a session at full battery, I also end the session with a full battery.

If you own a 30W power bank already, it is not some strict requirement to upgrade it for the frame, just make sure to use the right output port.

5
 
 

I posted earlier about initial impressions and how VR streaming wasn't working on Fedora but I did finally get that working so I figured I'd post an update.

Last week I had installed some codecs that were recommended to me by a user in the other thread but that only got the "pancake" game streaming working. After installing all of the codecs for AMD here, the VR streaming started to work: https://rpmfusion.org/Howto/Multimedia?highlight=%28%5CbCategoryHowto%5Cb%29

I'm not sure what specific ones fixed it, but I switched to full ffmpeg, installed the additional codecs, and did everything in the "Hardware codecs with AMD" section. I've seen some other troubleshooting tips that say to add an ENV variable to the launcher, but I didn't have to do that.

After a reboot it worked without any problems (don't forget to pair the wifi dongle from the headset).

Non-VR game streaming is just about perfect. I didn't notice any lag when playing Hollow Knight: Silksong nor was there any stuttering. However, VR streaming still needs some work. I loaded up Half-Life: Alyx and successfully streamed to my headset, but it stuttered quite a bit and often dropped the video for a few seconds. When streaming from Windows on the same PC it worked much better but did still occasionally drop. My play area is in the same room as the PC so I doubt it's a distance thing.

You'll definitely want to use the SteamOS and SteamVR betas to try this, but it does feel like I'll be able to finally get rid of my Windows partition soon.

6
 
 

I ended up on the wait list from the lottery, but I received an email at 2am this morning that I'm now in the reservation queue. My Steam account also says the same. There may be hope for waitlisters after all!

7
8
 
 

I am in the Steam Machine 2026 reservation queue now. Please convince me NOT to buy one. I don't really have a gaming PC right now. I am hoping that the Steam Machine can replace my productivity laptop, so I can play modern games on it and also have better general performance for productivity apps.

My current gaming setup:

  • Laptop with integrated Intel Iris XE graphics (only for productivity and limited 2D gaming)
  • 1440p monitor
  • Xbox series S
  • Switch Lite
  • Switch 2
  • Logitech G Cloud
  • GeForce Now performance subscription

I spend most of the time playing on handhelds (native/streaming), but occasionally on the computer monitor. Currently I stream from either GFN or the Xbox (remote play) to my Logitech G Cloud.

I have a huge backlog, and very limited time to play games due to busy life.

Other points to consider:

  1. Xbox series S is too weak for some recent games, even at 1080p
  2. I am not just going to use the Steam Machine with the monitor, I will mostly stream the Steam Machine to my Logitech G Cloud
  3. I don't mind the Linux desktop environment, I actually prefer it over Windows
  4. Gaming laptops are too hot and noisy
  5. I don't want a large Windows PC, I like the steam machine form factor.
  6. My Xbox series S is also used only for streaming to my Logitech G Cloud
  7. GeForce Now has a limited library, there are many steam games I want that are not available on GFN
  8. I've considered getting a Mac Mini, but the new one is too expensive.
  9. I worry that GFN will raise their prices or put further limits. Or new games I want won't be available on GFN. I feel like with GFN, I own nothing and it is out of my control.
  10. I love retro games and emulation (The Logitech G Cloud is too weak for PS2/Gamecube/PS3 emulation)
  11. I have very good internet connectivity and good wifi 7.

Additionally:

  • Gaming handhelds such as the Steamdeck and ROG Ally are too big and heavy.
  • I want to be able to play upcoming games such as Fable and Elder's Scroll 6
  • I do not need to play on the couch with TV
  • I only play single player games, mostly RPGs
  • I enjoy the cheaper game prices of Steam (vs Xbox/Nintendo)
  • I don't need native Microsoft 365 apps, I am happy with Linux apps
  • I don't trust most mini PC brands
  • I am mostly a patient gamer, and often wait until at least 50% discount to buy games
9
 
 

pretty interesting, even though I don't understand all of it ahah

10
 
 

I've been buying physical media and want to save digital copies for SD card. I had no issues with my CD for music but DVDs don't work.

I have an optical drive that I plug in and it works. VLC with libdvdcss installed through Discovery failed. I tried MakeMKV but it doesn't detect the optical drive.

11
submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by to c/steamdeck@sopuli.xyz
 
 

My partner and I both signed up for a Steam Machine, and I for a Steam Frame. We got waitlisted for all 3, and in the last 24 hours we got into the queue for all of them. Time to decide which machine (2TB vs 512) to get, and if we actually want a Frame!

12
 
 

My main concern with the Frame was the inside out controller tracking. I play Beat Saber at a very high level, and I've never been completely happy with my Index. I've been able to try all the Quests over the years but none of them impressed either.

But holy valve!

The Frame controllers track EXTREMELY WELL!! I feel like I finally got my original Rift back, and on LINUX!

So if you, like me, worried that the controllers would not perform in fast-paced games like Beat Saber, don't. I can't tell if they quite beat the original CV1 touch controllers, but it's close enough that I've finally stopped pining for the CV1.

13
 
 

Pretty cool project, several people mentioned it in the recent Steam Controller thread.

Basically you buy a NRF52840 Pro Micro (I bought mine for $8USD), drop a firmware file on it, and you have a alternative wireless puck for the Steam Controller. By pressing button combinations you can switch it to act like a switch/xbox/ps controller letting the steam controller work on those platforms as well. The steam controller supports being paired with two pucks, you just hold R1+A+Steam for pairing one, and L1+A+Steam for pairing two (hold these buttons when turning the controller on).

It is recommended to add an enclosure to protect the chip, if you have a 3d printer there are a bunch of models available to print an enclosure.

14
submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by to c/steamdeck@sopuli.xyz
 
 

Did anyone manage to find a setup to run Minecraft VR on the frame standalone ? Ideally with Prism Launcher (Even tough I know flatpak will have some limitations)

Plain Minecraft with Prism just work on the Frame btw, just the VR mod don't seems to be able to hook into SteamVR.

Would love to know if someone managed to play MCVR on the Frame standalone and how to get it working! :)

15
 
 

Reading Steam Frame eye-tracking data (gaze and eye openness) and sending it via OSC.

16
17
 
 

I got my Frame today and found an unlabeled button at the side. Took me a bit to find out what it does. It's actually a mouse button! When you click it once the cursor appears and from then on works like a mouse. Only trouble is that the cursor is right in the middle of the screen and you control it by moving your head.

Guess it's good in a pinch, when you don't have the controllers. Could be more useful if it used the eye tracking. Maybe with a later update.

I played around a bit, installing basically every VR game I have to see if it runs. Unfortunately none of them (or SteamVR itself) support lying on your back while playing. I'm disabled and basically can't leave my bed. I was hoping for some setting to reset the pitch when you reset the forward view.

While it does position 2d windows wherever you look, that isn't the case for the VR space itself. The floor is always downwards and not in the direction my chin is pointing. I think OVR Advanced Settings can give me that option. I just have to wait for them to add Steam Frame support, which is supposed to come with the next major version.

Still I was pleasantly surprised to see that many VR games just worked out of the box. At least the initial screens worked in Droid Works, 7th Guest, Spellbound Spire and I Am Cat.

What outright refused to run was Batman, The Lab and Spider-Man: Far From Home.

I also dabbled with the Linux port of MotherVR, the VR mod for Alien Isolation. For a moment it actually worked. Only trouble was that a second window with the game scene was showing over the VR view. But just positioning it outside of view kind of fixed that. In my quest to fix it probably I must have broken something because now I can't get the game to work at all.

And on the topic of Quest, I grabbed Minecraft VR from SideQuest. I could not find a GUI option to add non-Steam games. But on the command line it ships with the script steamos-add-to-steam. You just have to modify it to also accept files with the type application/vnd.android.package-archive. After it was added I selected Lepton as the compatibility layer and to my surprise it started. Only running Minecraft itself did not work, as it complained about some missing libraries. Seems like a solvable problem.

All in all I've still got a lot to tinker with. Maybe I can whip up a quick SteamVR plugin to solve my laying down problem. We'll see.

18
19
 
 

SteamOS ARM now runs on Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 handhelds! This image is only for 8 Gen 2 (SM8550) devices. If you have a KONKR Pocket FIT or AYANEO Pocket S2, don't flash this! Stay on v1.2 with the v1.2.1 hotfix, v1.3 for you comes later as an update.

20
 
 
21
submitted 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) by to c/steamdeck@sopuli.xyz
 
 

**assuming streaming. Satisfactory, my current obsession, runs okay in the Frame but it’s definitely pushing it.

I’ve never had any kind of VR so this is all new to me, but having my game window in a comfortable place with other windows or desktops floating around me is the peak futuristic experience to me.

To reference one of my favorite books, Snow Crash, this is a place I could imagine meeting the Librarian and playing with a model of earth.

I could genuinely imagine working in this thing with the right peripherals.

Edit: flat, not 2D.

22
 
 

I think it's vibe coded, but this is the reason I want the Steam Frame. Someone didn't like that desktop mode is limited to one monitor with a fixed resolution so they changed it.

23
 
 

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/72174828

24
25
view more: next ›