Steam Deck: Getting Started - Configuration and Tinkering "How-to" | Step-by-step Guide | Deck Tech

[@PatrickHatTrickGaming]

A small change since making this video: The default controls for Desktop Mode (while Steam is running) now have both the left and right trackpads bound to left-click. In order to right-click, you now need to use the left trigger.

[@michaelengelby732]

This video should be - in my opinion - officially endorsed by Valve. It is amazing the amount of valuable things that are in here! I'll definitely buy you a beer or coffee given a chance.

[@meric12131415]

He'll probably take the beer thank ya🤣

[@KseRBanshee]

OMG don’t be so cheap, I’ll buy him 2 beers 😂

[@meric12131415]

@@KseRBanshee 🤣 funny

[@joshweber71]

This video was super helpful in the desktop mode

[@abdulbasit4660]

I’ll chip in to that too

[@kengregor9623]

New deck user here. This video is the best starter video I have come across. Great info covering a variety of items. You got my sub. Please make more. 😊

[@itchytomato]

Very informative! Thanks for the tips! SUBBED One thing to note: I accidentally bricked my Steam Deck by updating the system through the desktop mode. Valve made the walk-through with the imaging so easy to follow & I recommend everyone to have at least a copy of that put away on an extra flash drive they have laying around in case you also accidentally do this as well! 😆

[@cleanflame.]

Great video! I haven't seen anyone else covering the complete basics, so this is very helpful.

[@adriensawyer]

Dude! I've had a SD since July and been doing tons of research, so when I played this video I figured I knew everything already, and wanted to have it in the pocket to send to friends who end up getting a Deck. However, I learned a bunch, namely warpinator, adding shortcuts to folders in dolphin, and the compat data stuff (which was a huge help since I had been looking for this folder in order to transfer my just cause 3 save over from my pc). Great video, thanks a ton. Subscribed!

[@ospididious]

Thanks for the tips, Patrick! This answered a lot of accessibility issues I was curious about. Also, your presentation method is easy to follow and doesn't make the viewer feel stupid or talked down to in any way. Keep up the great work!

[@kazaakas]

I would advise against using the FPS Limiter in the Quick Access Menu, because it introduces a huge amount of input lag. This is super noticable if you use gyro aiming. The deck already does Vsync by default, so instead lowering the refresh rate will by extension also limit the framerate, but without introducing so much lag. The refresh rate only goes down to 40Hz though. If you need to cap your FPS even lower, first check if the game in question has an FPS limiter. That way it's limited from inside the engine, and is much more responsive!

[@mail2hammad]

Bruv… You’re a true mvp for compiling 20 tips and tricks videos worth of knowledge into one single video with timestamps… Your effort is much appreciated…

[@Johnson968]

Great video, probably the best video I have watched on deck setup - got yourself a sub for this alone. Thanks!

[@heatherperkins9737]

This is great. Been using my Deck for a little while, and now that I somewhat have my bearings I am keen to do some performance tweaks and other stuff. SUPER helpful video, with a lot of key tips in one place - new subscriber here. Thank you!

[@pierrotA]

I watch a lot of videos on the Deck but this one explain the most in a very condensed way. I love the level of details given without being too technical. It's very good and very clear.

[@ElementalTJ]

Impressive video. Will be using to set up my Deck in a few days. Thanks! Liked and subscribed. edit: This may help for compdata and shadercache. Might be worth checking out? "zShaderCacheKiller - A Utility to selectively delete Shader Cache & Compatdata"

[@odd1363]

This is exactly what I was looking for. I haven't even bought my Stem Deck yet and it was all a bit daunting (I'm old) , now I feel a little more confident and inclined to purchase. Many thanks indeed.

[@ILoveJahangeer]

I’m in the same exact boat as you. I just wish that games that are on Steam, we’re just easy to download straight onto the Deck, but having to install other things to play something you paid £39.99 or even £49.99 for just seems like too much hassle to me. I’m beginning to be put off from buying it…

[@KALELSUPRMN]

This is the absolute best initial setup video that I've seen so far. Excellent work and thank you!

[@dio_Brando1888]

Just bought my steam deck I'm definitely going to save this video for when it gets here.

[@Kickbuttdooode]

Me too!!

[@drew_and_dragons]

Love this video, ordering my stream deck soon and this is such an amazing tool. THANK YOU for taking the time to make this, subscription earned 10 fold!

[@_dom_97]

Dude how does this video not have a ton of views. Youre so underrated. This video is a saviour. Thank you so much

[@HenrySimpermann]

23:30 i recommend using KDE connect, it works on every platform and it’s preinstalled on steam deck

[@jenns212]

My Steam Deck is on the way and was looking for a video to get me started. Thank you so much for this- super helpful and easy to understand!

[@allhandsonsteamdeck1440]

YOU EARN THE SUB I'VE HAD MY STEAM DECK FOR 6 MONTHS NOW AND KNOW ALL THESE TIPS BUT IT'S GOOD TO HAVE IT ALL IN ONE VIDEO AND HAVE IT EXPLAINED FOR THOSE WHO GET IT RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX

[@peeonthe3rdrail414]

Why are you yelling?

[@crushlemons]

@@peeonthe3rdrail414 WHAT U SAY!!!!!

[@aiden3585]

@@peeonthe3rdrail414 even his username is in caps lol

[@Deezboyofficial]

caps lock fever

[@Jacespace23]

CAP LOCK IS BROKEN.... TIME FOR A new keyboard. Lol

[@igordelija9185]

Getting my Steam deck delivered tomorrow and this looks like a great tutorial. It is a lot of information and things you have to do/change.

[@maggiered7284]

I am very new to the steam deck. I just got mine last week for my birthday from my husband & I am so glad to come across your video of this. It helped me out a lot as a newbie. Thank you so much!

[@peterd7009]

Just found your channel. Getting my steam deck if a few days. Thank you for this guide. As a newbie I need all the help I can get. Happy Holidays !!!

[@mpredator1]

excellent video, concise, well explained, straight to the point, no bullshit plus some extra tips that were definitely welcomed, thanks!

[@VicodinElmo]

2:03 I just want it to ask me on a “per download” basis like it does on my PC.

[@peggyfarrow3394]

Here’s were you’re wrong. Some people just want to play games, not inker. If I want a new project I’d get a raspberry pi. I just want to play my games. I don’t care about special thumbnails or plug ins or any of that crap. It’s like the argument over Samsung or Apple. Oh gosh gee wailers on my Samsung phone I can have the Hal voice from space oddest 2001 when I log into my phone. Really. Jesus Christ am I 15 years old. Let me put a 15 inch Orion sub in my car to make others car alarms go off. All I care about is getting into my game playing. Not screwing with a handheld til get a hack for Kodi to work. I just don’t care. I don’t need things like this to make me feel like I accomplished something. I’m not saying it’s not a good device and you shouldn’t be happy with it. If it floats your boat I’m happy for you. It’s a free country and what you like I might not like. And that’s alright. It’s supposed to be like that. Different strokes for different folks. It’s not for me. But I like watching videos like yours just keeping abreast of what’s going on. So thumbs up dude

[@GeorgeZimmermen]

This exactly! I own a steamdeck but it’s a pain in the ass sometimes. It reminded me why I hate pc gaming and stick to consoles. I just want to be able to pop a game in and know it will work because we all have the same console. There is to much tinkering in steamdeck. I get why the pc dorks love it, but I have had so many frustrations with it so far. All these stupid programs and tech terms is not fun to me or something I care about.

[@christian.xavier.villagran]

NEED HELP when I am on desktop mode my steam deck wont let me use the steam deck keyboard ⌨️ to write which application I want to search please don’t tell me I need a real keyboard? How can I write? ✍️

[@PatrickHatTrickGaming]

When you hold the "Steam" and "X" buttons together, does the on-screen keyboard pop-up?

[@Gramini]

Keep in mind that the virtual keyboard from Steam also only works when Steam is running.

[@derekdauzat]

could you please make a guide to improve the text size, UI size, taskbar.. maybe few other tweaks to the desktop mode interface. im not familiar with Linux. i just find the desktop mode to be small.. the overall scale of everything.

[@John-hz4wi]

Thanks

[@sthompson022]

Wow, just wow. What an amazing overview for configuring the Steam Deck. I just ordered one and wanted to get a leg up on learning about it and stumbled across your video. I'm so glad I did. I've bookmarked it and plan to use your video once I receive my new deck and start to dive into it. Thanks a million.

[@FantaLain]

This guide was super helpful! My partner set up my Steam Deck and gifted it to me so there are times when I have NO idea what does what or goes where 😂 Got a dock this week and been enjoying playing with a keyboard and mouse setup, I've only run into one issue - accessing the Steam Menus (both main and quick access) while playing a game using k&m. Controller is fine, and Ctrl 1 & 2 work in Steam itself but if a game is open I can't access them. Kind of been a pain when trying to optimize settings for a game and I can't see any of the info or adjust the settings on the fly. If you know a workaround or something I'm missing I'd love to know!

[@PatrickHatTrickGaming]

Glad the guide was helpful!! Unfortunately, I don't have a solution for your KB &M problem. It seems that Valve has simply overlooked this. On Windows, Shift+Tab brings up the Steam Overlay... but even THAT doesn't work on Steam Deck. I'm suffering with this too, sadly! Whenever I'm playing with my Steam Deck docked, I just have to lean over and hit the physical buttons on the Deck to access the menus. That is, unfortunately, the only way I know of to do it in-game without a controller. Sorry for the bad news!!

[@luciusnetheril]

Regarding the controller quirk in Desktop mode-it has to do with Steam Controller. Steam Deck, basically is a Steam Controller, so it requires Steam running, in order for it's software to be fully operating.

[@filipe0silva]

HOLYY SHIITTT I LOVE YOU I'VE BEEN SEARCHING AROUND THE INTERNET FOR 5 HOURS AND THEN NOW IT'S OVER FINALLY I LOVE YOU MAAN

[@TheMightsparrow]

How about a video on remote play with your ps5 & sd? I'm a new player with a SD but without a clue how to do this? Any idea how to do this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[@PatrickHatTrickGaming]

This is definitely something I want to do a video on at some point! In the meantime, the short version is you can use an app called "Chiaki4Deck".

[@TheMightsparrow]

@@PatrickHatTrickGaming I downloaded the app but the remote play tab on my SD does not find my ps5 ,even though the remote play tab is on on my ps5. I don't have a clue what is going on..... 1k+ of hardware and I cannot do anything 😫. Feeling frustrated is an understatement!

[@ca-wl9hj]

Thank you for this video! Can you do a new updated video of POE and how it runs on the steamdeck now versus the video you made 5-6months ago and if there is any tinkering needed to make POE run the best on the steamdeck to have the most improved FPS?

[@PatrickHatTrickGaming]

Well, I've got some good news for you - I have! About a month ago I did a video on exactly this, focusing on how far the Deck could be pushed in juiced endgame content, and going over what settings I use to play PoE! Take a look: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f4CsaoCLprp4j5I If you want to know more about the settings and setup I use, I also have this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/epDPi4tra5iSl5o Of course, just a month or so later, now even THAT performance video is out of date somewhat, with the Beyond and Rare changes in 3.19. But as PoE continues to change, I'm sure I'll continue to revisit the topic in the future, and make more videos covering how to have the best experience on the Deck. So look forward to it!

[@kierenbuckley370]

I'm thinking about getting a Steam Deck just for PlayStation 2 and GameCube emulation

[@iron_sight_8727]

Hands down best video for beginners most videos I watch they expect most people already own a steam deck or familiar with it & don't explain things in detail you take your time explaining things & breaking everything down explaining every detail

[@XtianApi]

It seems that the main difference with the updated fan curve is that the fan isn't so concerned about cooling off lower temperatures. Up around the high end of temperature the new Curve will also ramp up quite a bit. So if playing a demanding title, I'm not sure you get much from switching curves. What clearly does change though is if the whole deck gets warm with less demanding titles slowly and you want to constantly run higher RPM at lower Temps to cool the chassis, the old curve will do that

[@gamingallday9225]

Awesome video, I learned allot. Thank you for this! One thing I still don't know is if I can move games from SD to internal mening and vice versa. Downloading to SD seems very slow for me so maybe it's better to download to internal and move to SD if possible.

[@sukhdeepghuttora]

I've Subscribed and liked. This deserves way more likes. Real helpful content.

[@ricardocastro6701]

i get my steam deck tomorrow very excited. you have maid things so much simpler thank you very much.

[@Diana-sr5ub]

Thank you! Your video by far has proven to be the most helpful. You are answering all my questions and some I didn’t know I would have . GR8 video!

[@jyoutube989]

GREAT EXPLANATION. I DONT KNOW WHY EVERYONE IS IN CAPS, BUT IM GONNA ASSUME THEY KNOW SOMETHING I DONT SO IM GONNA USE CAPS. I SUBBED

[@1995pieter]

ey I found alot of what you said in different videos from different channels, but you brought it all together in a great way in 30 min. thanks mate! great help

[@Saullobos]

September 2024 and I recently got my SD. Best starter video I’ve watched so far. And I’ve watched a lot of

[@WardStroud]

so far setting this up SUCKS! I'm getting the dreaded 1 sec remain error... what a bummer

[@wf6951]

30 FPS is fine. how is this less than ideal? I see no problems in FF14. I've gone back several times on your vid. and I've seen no problems with 30FPS?? It might be because I grew up with lower FPS a.k.a NES, SNES, SEGA, and TV's with push buttons. With this aside 30 FPS seem just fine, and with lower Hrz.

[@dkh526]

Are wifi downloads typically more slower in desktop mode than game mode? I went to download those two applications from Discover, and they’re taking forever. I’m 15 minutes into the downloads as I type this comment, and the Tasks are only 57% downloaded. The speeds are roughly 210 KiB/s. I should say, I’m on a slow hotel wifi that tests at 31 Mb/s. Significantly faster then the desktop download speeds I’m seeing; and that’s about the speeds my Steam Deck downloads at in game mode. I feel like my Deck doesn’t handle wifi as efficiently in desktop.

[@HerEvilTwin]

This video puts all other “new deck owner” guides to shame. They be like: “hold power button to turn on or off you deck”

[@Jeetacademykl]

this video deserves to be better known ! amazing content ! i will often come back to it ! thank you !

[@moonpaw55]

I need some help with my steam deck, there was nothing wrong then I must’ve pressed the wrong button when it was on desktop mode. Now I’m using the pointer on the touchscreen. It just keeps opening blue boxes and won’t work regularly as the pointer was before. Is there a way to fix this? It was working fine until I was downloading something and must’ve pressed the wrong button. Now I moved the cursor with my finger across the touchscreen. It just keeps like opening these blue boxes that can highlight things. How do I stop it from doing that and get it back to normal?

[@mattflin5171]

Great video, thanks, very helpful - steam deck on its way to me!

[@beastabuelos6421]

I just got a couple usb cable extenders for my USB keyboard and mouse and plug them into the dock. Works great for when I'm using desktop mode, or for the few games that i play that are better with those controls, like universe sandbox

[@SwordArtX]

What an amazing guide dropped like & totally subscribed 🫡

[@mohdsaeed870]

Oh hell nah, this is not fair bro why the f u only got 3k subs 😤, you deserve more, new subscriber 🙋🏽‍♂️, keep up the good work ma man u helped me alot

[@lewisbrown5003]

Can you play sport games like madden and NBA

[@FordPickUPRed]

ROG Ally is looking better every day.. This is a wonderful video full of valuable information.

[@mustangmandal]

First let me say thanks for making this video it was very useful for a new steam deck user. However you're wrong to assume that some of us are not familiar with Linux. I would never assume anything cause you know what it does .....😅

[@booth1533]

My steamdeck is being delivered next week, is the info regarding shadercache still the case? Seems quite the oversight if even uninstalled games still take up space.

[@thisisbetty3519]

Just got my steam deck today and this video is a godsend! Super easy to understand. Thank you!

[@hansolo1638]

Meh

[@ggsniper5o54]

When I am setting my steam deck up it freezes half way through installing ste and I have tried better internets but it didn't work and I can't seem to find out how to fix it. Does anyone know how to fix it?

[@M64bros]

This video is very handy since I got my steam deck and it's coming in on Wednesday!

[@WheezyLiam]

When we switch from Game Mode to Desktop Mode, do in-progress downloads continue or pause?

[@sriraghavanrajamannar4156]

Thanks for the efforts to teach what to do when one buys a new Steam Deck. I have one suggestion, personally i have never played any video games anywhere hence not aware of the settings and buttons, and when you move too fast while showing us we cannot cartch how to go to a certain settings. As we understand the settings are layered and the specific one we are trying to enable can be two levels down. and we miss this part.

[@lafasi4366]

Can you tell more on fsr options,should i fsr on or off im confused, and that gpu how much i need to lower it??and what is vram thing

[@JuanPablo-nx2oc]

Does it have a version of warpinator for Android? I don't have a pc and would like to transfer files from my Android to my steam deck

[@c.cfellton3105]

I felt after I watched this video in its entirety that I belonged in the SD community w all the other know it alls.

[@Celesmeh]

That ffxiv sharlayan music in the background kept me le el the entire time

[@RenoLaringo]

Thank you so much ! You've got another subscriber.

[@rocknflip66]

question for the “dynamic cloud save”? example: im home and game on my laptop and when on the go I use my steam deck continuing where I left off. how do we enable this?

[@PatrickHatTrickGaming]

If you close a game, and the game support Steam Cloud (almost all do), Valve will sync your save file to the cloud, and download it before starting up the game on a different device. If you don't close out of the game, it won't sync your save file (in theory some games can support it syncing even if you don't close the game, but I don't know of any that do this yet). As long as a game is listed as having "Steam Cloud" support on Steam, it should be seamless. Just make sure to close the game when you're done!!!

[@betinhoarmando3508]

Proton don’t work for me I did everything in the video and selected it for my games but when I start the game don’t run further then homescreen of the game or Charakter menu

[@robertwhite97477]

hi love this thanks for the help do u have a video on getting xbox games like star wars revenge of the sith game on the steam deck or any games for xbox or playstation games

[@squigl3z78]

I don't know why but it might just be my mind but every time you say deck I feel a little dirty inside

[@Spudraider]

This was fun to watch. some of it I got because I you Linux a lot but the steam deck stuff was fun to learn

[@koammudo43]

Im zire its in here im gonna watch the shooe thing but im excited to change my boot up like thsts wild that is customizable

[@FibaFanatic]

Great video. Wish the dislike count was visible so people know this is a legit guide.

[@mrwess2532]

My discover in desktop mode isn't working please gel0

[@9901ghsa]

You’ve got my sub! Looking forward to your page getting more traction. This was an extremely helpful guide and I thank you so much for putting the time and effort to do this! Excellent job!! Question - will you in the future do guides on installing games from the epic launcher and etc..? Would be much appreciated if possible! Thank you!

[@PatrickHatTrickGaming]

I'm definitely planning on doing that at some point! Along with more guides for setting up other aspects of the Deck. It's just that I haven't dug much into non-steam launchers myself yet, besides getting one EGS game to work months ago. Plus I think a video like that would take me a while to make, so I haven't gotten around to it yet! Hopefully it - and other guides I hope to make - help out once I make 'em. Stay tuned!

[@Soupernova3]

my steam deck repeatedly says failed to connect when i enter my wi-fi password

[@Jr50b]

Man your amazing I need you to just do my Steamdeck for me great video

[@Rome19xx]

DUDE!!!!! THANKS A MILLION, You're informative vid is Stanley Cup good. SALUTE!!!! Subscribed

[@TheRealUnkn0wn_289]

Discovery store refuses to install anything

[@undergroundish3135]

best beginner guide for steam deck ever! thanks patric

[@SanctuaryLife]

What spare part would you suggest having on hand to repair the steam deck, as in which is likely to blow first? The fan I would assume?

[@MATT-dw3lu]

This is fantastic you explain things so well

[@2231puppy]

13:18 Small correction - Linux is *very* different from Windows & macOS. It's the desktop environment, or DE, that can make WIndows & Mac users feel right at home. On the Steam Deck, the DE is called KDE, which is designed to look something like Windows. There's also GNOME, which looks more like macOS. There's a plethora of others, but those are the two that feel like other desktop OSes. Thanks for this video, I just ordered a 'deck and this video is immensely helpful and clarifying!

[@quitequiet5281]

Great information! Very well presented.

[@timberwolf3781]

Just got the shipping info on my Deck.... can't wait for it to arrive. Excellent content....have bookmarked it as well thanks

[@NottaChanceman]

I was following along with your guide but got stuck because I don't know how to bookmark the .local/share/steam part. I get to the folder and it's selected and you say in order to bookmark simply add entry but you don't say how you bring up the add entry option. I find the location where your cursor is when you bring it up but neither right click nor left click allows it. How to you bring up the add entry option in order to bookmark the steam folder?

[@PatrickHatTrickGaming]

Controls in desktop mode have actually changed slightly since I made this video - the default now is that both touchpads are left-click, and you have to hit the left trigger to right-click, which I think may be the source of your struggles! Other easy ways to add a bookmark are to right-click a folder and select "Add to places", or to left click the folder, click the 3 lines button in the top right, hover over additional options, and then select "add to places". Hope that helps!

[@arminius1972]

Sir, I just had to drop you a line to say „Thank You“ for making this video - I finally got my deck a week ago and have been looking for a guide to get it set up right - watching your video has allowed me to do just that without much trial and error, saving me a lot of time. I do have one question though - can I copy a fully downloaded game from my network share to the deck‘s msD card so that it does not have to download the files all over again? I assume that would be in desktop mode with Warpinator?

[@PatrickHatTrickGaming]

Happy to help! As for copying games - you can definitely copy games onto the Steam Deck to save on download times. However, it's not something I've dug into much - I've only ever done it with FF14, and I copied it directly to the microSD, and not over the network. Warpinator should definitely allow you to be able to move games from one PC to another, provided they're on the same network - that's how I moved all my Roms and saves over, after all! If you're trying to move STEAM games over, though, the process may be a little different, and I don't know if copying them manually over the network would be the way to go about it. If you have a way to plug your microSD card into a Windows computer that has the Steam games installed, there's a utility that can copy them for you, however: Deck Drive Manager. deckdrivemanager.com/ I haven't used it myself, but in theory if you're looking to mass-copy Steam games onto your Deck's microSD card, this is probably the fastest and easiest way to do it! Good luck - and enjoy your Deck! 😄

[@arminius1972]

@@PatrickHatTrickGaming Wow, you followed up a great video with a super simple response to my question . As a Steam Deck newbie, I want you to know how much I appreciate the help.

[@jonathanjefry]

The set up on the steam deck is not even easy and you can’t even skip the set up just to get to the main screen 😑

[@celerymorales6664]

Im having trouble downloading ProtonUp-Qt when I launch it I can’t use the touch pads.

[@PatrickHatTrickGaming]

That's...bizzare! I haven't encountered anything like that in Desktop mode before... not sure I know how to fix that. 😐

[@Rokabur]

I'm almost definitely gonna try to get Windows 10 onto mine cause I don't have the patience to have to tinker with Proton to get games working (plus only 14% of my Steam Library is listed as Verified).

[@tetrodotoxin9782]

I hate this. can't buy a game without a credit card.

[@sub-jec-tiv]

YOU WIN! Best startup video. Thanks so much! Subbed.

[@rassman48]

This is my Steam Deck day 2, Your video helped a lot. The first thing I loaded was Obduction, because this PC wont play it and I missed it. Day one was - Controls in the home screen - change when you go into Obduction screen where you enter a player name - I could see the 'Play' button but couldn't get at it. I had actually given up went to put the Steam deck down and accidentally went into the game. (I still don't know how to press that play button). - Now in play the controls change again. It took me ages to discover the left mouse click. And that to me is the mad side of Steam Deck, why can't we have controls that work through the whole system. I suspect I will have to relearn the buttons for everything I play. Unless I can make a mouse work with it later today.

[@poopscoop2000]

Really glad I found this. Waiting for my Deck to arrive and this will really help with the learning curve. Subscribed.

[@boyler77]

Wow! thank you kindly for this video. Especially the part explaining the Custom Protons. I am new to Steam Deck and could not figure out this. Thank you!