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The Steam Deck makes your PC games feel like they were built for handheld gaming, but it's kind of like a fancy illusion. Under the hood, the Steam Deck is essentially a Linux PC that employs a user interface made for a controller. What that means is that you, the user, can easily dive under that hood with Steam's Desktop interface and start modding and tweaking your games, just like you would on a regular gaming PC.
When you're in Desktop mode, you'll find a full Linux desktop environment (specifically, KDE Plasma) complete with Firefox for browsing the web, a file manager, and the full desktop Steam interface. While it works a little differently than something like Windows, if you're used to tweaking settings or modifying your game files in Steam, this mode will seem familiar.
This is also the mode you'll need to access if you want to install third-party launchers, mod your games, or run emulators. There's so much power waiting for you behind a simple change in interface. Here's how to get started.
Valve has made it remarkably easy to swap to Desktop mode, and it shouldn't be intimidating to anyone. Here are the steps:
Press the Steam button (underneath the left touchpad).
Select Power.
Select Switch to Desktop.
That's it. Easy, right? Keep in mind, this is technically restarting your console, so if you're in the middle of a game, save any progress you have. After a brief black screen, you'll see a desktop UI with a few desktop shortcuts and a toolbar along the bottom.
How to navigate the desktop on a Steam Deck
While you can technically connect a mouse and keyboard to use this as a desktop, you don't have to. There are a few basic controls you'll need to learn, but once you do, you'll be able to navigate just like it was any other PC.
The touchscreen. First and foremost, since this is a touchscreen, you can tap directly on anything on the screen. It's not the most precise method, but it should be mentioned up front.
The right trackpad is your mouse. Just like the touchpad on your computer, you can use the right trackpad to control the desktop cursor.
The left trackpad is your scroll wheel. It can be a little wonky, but swipe up and down on the left trackpad and you can scroll through websites or menus that have focus.
Click and right-click with the right and left triggers, respectively. To click on something, press the right trigger. To right-click on something, press the left trigger. Yes, it sounds counterintuitive when you describe it, but once you're doing it, it feels a lot more natural.
Press Steam + X to pull up the on-screen keyboard. This is the least intuitive part of the interface, but if you need to enter text, press Steam + X. This shortcut will invoke the virtual keyboard. You can then dismiss it when you're done by pressing the keyboard icon on the bottom right.
These basic controls will let you navigate the vast majority of the desktop interface. It might feel a little cumbersome at first, but you get the hang of it quickly. With that in mind, you can start messing around in your Steam Deck's files.
Steam might be the default official game store for the Steam Deck, but you can technically install others. In the past, this was a bit of a hassle, but long-suffering volunteers have made tools to make it easier than ever. You can install launchers like GOG Galaxy and even Epic Games Store with a little effort.
Keep in mind that none of these are officially supported, and you should research install methods specifically for the Steam Deck to get them working. The Steam Deck runs on a Linux build, and it's only able to run Windows applications through the frankly magic Proton compatibility layer. You're venturing into buggier territory with this path, but you can find access to a ton of games you couldn't have otherwise played with the default Steam Deck setup.
Start modding your games
Modding is one of the best ways to breathe new life into your favorite games, and Steam is usually super friendly to it. While there's not an easy way to do it from the default Steam Deck, its desktop mode opens that world right up. You can use Firefox to browse popular mod sites like NexusMods and the Dolphin file browser to dig through your game files.
Since you can also access the desktop version of Steam, it's easier to go through your game files. Right-click (that is, left trigger) on any game in your Library, select Properties > Installed Files, then click on Browse to pull up the folder where that game's files are located.
In some (rare) cases, it can be even easier. NexusMods is currently developing a Steam Deck version of its mod manager app that currently officially supports Stardew Valley, with more games planned for future support.
Connect peripherals for the full PC experience
With the Steam Deck's USB-C port, you can connect a wide range of peripherals that let you effectively turn your Deck into a whole PC. Valve even has an official docking station (though you can also find cheaper ones from companies like Anker). It also supports Bluetooth connections for wireless keyboards and mice. With this you can connect:
External monitors. The Steam Deck has a 1280x800 panel (either IPS or OLED, depending on your model), which is great for its size, but it's hardly high res. If you'd rather play your games on something bigger and more detailed, you can connect an external monitor to play on.
Keyboards and mice. Obviously, Steam and its games were designed with a PC interface in mind. While the Steam Deck has done a great job of making games feel at home on a handheld, you can always connect a mouse and keyboard as a fallback. This also makes navigating desktop mode easier.
External hard drives. One of the biggest downsides of the Steam Deck is its limited storage capacity. Rather than constantly redownloading your games, you can plug in an external drive and swap out your games from there, via desktop mode. You'll save a ton of time (and bandwidth) over deleting and redownloading.
Ethernet adapters. The Steam Deck is at its best when you're playing single-player games, in my opinion. However, if you'd like to occasionally use it for online play, you might get better latency over an Ethernet connection. Docking stations can add this functionality while docked without having to invest in a whole laptop.
If you only ever use a Steam Deck in handheld mode, you'll probably have a great time. The experience is so refined at this point that you'd be forgiven for thinking every game on Steam was designed with the handheld in mind first. However, if you're willing to brave less conventional waters, the Steam Deck's desktop mode is a gateway to the kind of tinkering power normally reserved for the full-fledged PC crowd.
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