Using The Steam Deck as a Desktop PC ...

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► Chapters:
00:00 - Using the Steam Deck as a PC
00:42 - Desktop Handhelds
01:22 - Things that bother me ...
03:03 - An immutable Operating Systems
03:53 - A personal (non Valve) problem
04:39 - The Desktop Mode has flaws, but ...
06:22 - Conclusion
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► Description Tags:
steam deck, steam deck linux, steam deck desktop mode, steam deck desktop setup, steam deck lock screen,steam deck as a pc, steam deck as a gaming pc, steam deck as a computer, can you use the steam deck as a pc, michael horn
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#linux #steamdeck #opensource

[@Kuwagatamushi]

SteamOS is also missing CUPS, which means you can't print from it by default. Ran into that little problem at work.

[@playnicegames]

You’re the second person that mentioned this, I printed on my Steam Deck so easily I don’t even remember it being an issue. Imma have to check on that again

[@isabellaheart3698]

Obligatory Bazzite mention rpm-ostree allows to install .rpm packages, Bazzite itself has added alot of cool stuff that can make handhelds more of a desktop solution. If you wanna customize it by ALOT you can make your own custom image and add all of the stuff. Been using Legion Go as my desktop PC for over a month with a Deck image + Steam Deck w/ Bazzite while I was waiting for it. Droidcam, even works with it. Locking and unlocking works and can be enabled in the settings *(disabled by default)*. Also interesting angle about portability: Steam Deck can be a full Linux PC with a help of a lapdock (Nexdock/Uperfect/Dopesplay), enabling it to be used as a laptop where you can just lug around a dock, mouse and keyboard.

[@aaroneldreth]

Seconded. Been using bazzite on my deck since October. Improves pretty much everything about the SteamOS experience.

[@MegaManNeo]

I used my Deck once when I slept over night at a buddy's house. The missing desktop access protection is a thing but I didn't need it for much and could easily move the files I took with me to my regular PC afterwards. As for the portability factor, I just treat the Deck as a gaming console with a Linux desktop as a bonus. When I know I need to type a lot, I take my ThinkPad with me. Have never been a fan of gaming on a laptop, really.

[@no_name4796]

Mandatory "steam deck is technically an arch derivative, btw"

[@MichaelNROH]

[@akuseru1078]

I use Arch btw, just clarifying

[@kabanchyk5661]

We need more videos about steam deck

[@Nat3_H1gg3rs]

Especially ones with goofy euro trash narrators to help the algorithm find and favor foreign content and support a global democracy in a time of rising neo marxism.

[@yogurtmilk3912]

All of your issues are fixed by installing another Distribution, Bazzite Linux for example. Where you can layer packages for anything you need and modify the etc/ directory without being deleted on updates. There are non inmutable options too. SteamOS is not really made to be a desktop replacement, yet Valve it's doing a little bit to change that. (like including podman ootb) Anyways, I don't think they'll focus on the desktop part of the Steam Deck given that they market it as a console.

[@aaroneldreth]

Seconded.

[@piercewang2115]

Agreed! Throwing in the gauntlet for Jovian NixOS. It's a fantastic portable computer experience.

[@Chzt123]

I do not think the hardware allows for dual boot or to install another OS, not easily at least.

[@MrDowntemp0]

You can install an OS that isn't immutable but with Steam Deck compatibility like Nobara or Bazzite

[@PaperReaper]

Nobara and Bazzite have gamescope patched in by default so u forego fiddling with it to use TDP controls and HDR@@kadupse

[@foss_sound]

​@@kadupseBut without the SteamOS you don't have the real Deck experience ... unless you install it parallel. I tried (1y ago) and the bootloader wasn't handy at all and it always has overwritten my config somehow.

[@H4GRlD]

I worked from the Deck for almost 2 months while I was abroad. I installed Ubuntu 20.04 on an sd card, used a dock for kb/m and of course an external display. I was using Docker containers, PhpStorm and so on, it worked pretty well honestly. I was just constantly scared because of the SD card though. 😅 But for most users I would assume the desktop mode would be more than sufficient for casual desktop use cases. If you want to do multimedia work, you should just get a pc or a more powerful notebook, but this is just as niche of a use case as using Docker and code editors. 😊 And while coding on it is absolutely viable, 4k video editing is just too much for it.

[@MichaelNROH]

Yeah, running an OS off an SD card is kinda scary, though I wonder how well did it work? The Steam Deck doesn't officially support dual boot no?

[@H4GRlD]

@@MichaelNROH Well this was around the Autumn of 2022, so I can't recall all the details by now, but it was dual boot for sure. I think if you manage to boot from the sd card just like how people are doing this with Windows, you're good to go. Grub will take care of the rest like on your regular pc. (meaning the bootloader is actually on the sd card) Linux is pretty clever with dual boot setups, it had to be like this since Windows was always unreliable.

[@soulstenance]

I'm curious about why the sdcard was scary? Are modern quality sdcards really failing so easily? Or was there another issue with them?

[@H4GRlD]

@@soulstenance I was working on this system, and since setting up the system like this, installing the development environment, updating ssh keys, etc is pretty time consuming it was just a concern for me, since I never relied on sd cards. But as I said in my original comment it served me well thankfully. 🙂 In the end I was just worried because I didn't know what to expect about reliability.

[@soulstenance]

@@H4GRlD That's fair. Yeah it can be very disheartening to put so much time into a system setup only to have it break. Glad it worked well. I'm currently tinkering with a Raspberry Pi which also uses sdcards. 🫠🤓

[@courtneymertz4596]

Using a Steam Deck for a desktop OS isn’t a bad idea. I’d be willing to do so!

[@MichaelNROH]

It could, but only in a private space for me

[@soulstenance]

As someone who has actually had to do this while traveling - yes, you absolutely can. Whether you should, is another thing entirely. If like me, you care about privacy AND security, be forewarned - SteamOS is not encrypted in any way, does not support mounting of external LUKS encrypted drives (which absolutely baffles me), and by default has no root password (though you can add one). For me, especially while on the go, I consider each one of these a CRITICAL opsec failure. Sure you can add a pin, but that is NOT your root password, nor will it stop a bad actor from taking your device and grabbing any data you have off the disk. You can sacrifice the gaming optimizations that SteamOS offers and install a more secure OS like Debian, or even Linux Mint. But at that point, you're better off just getting a laptop.

[@MichaelNROH]

Sums it up pretty well

[@MsCoonos]

I use the steam desk primarily as a multi media pc connected to a projector and external dac + amplifier. Works great with kodi and nfs for films/shows. It also plays TV from a Linux based sat receiver. Nothing vanishes with the immutable quality so far...over 3 months

[@haraldkal]

Good review and fair points. I hope Valve listen to the feedback and make the steam deck an even better device 😊

[@rbus]

Never really realized the Steam Deck's desktop mode has these limitations but I haven't used it too much. It's been a fun little project of mine to add certain desktop apps to the launcher and using Steam's awesome as hell button/touchpad/sensor remapper tool for app shortcuts, like integrating vimium shortcuts in Chrome which turns around Steam's lack of keyboard to actually a nicer browsing experience than on my desktop Mac.

[@hecateoliva5710]

How do I get it to be able to print? I'm not good at code, is there a step by step for installing cups?

[@thomasand3124]

Have you tired other distros on the steam deck?

[@byfdani]

thank you! i was considering steam deck as my linux laptop replacement since I use Linux for years and then I found your video

[@lucyamonster]

Is it possible to use slock And auto enable it on boot?

[@DevJeremi]

I have a gaming laptop with Linux, but for some reason I could get myself to play anything on it. Only after I bought and start using SteamDeck I go back to playing games, but only on the deck. Playing on laptop just doesn't work for me.

[@techindex1]

Have you tested any other OS with desktop mode? Interested to know how Windows would perform and am tempted to pick up the steam deck if I can also occasionally use it as a desktop PC for some light work tasks

[@MichaelNROH]

Windows performs worse on the Deck. Less battery life, less Steam overlay optimizations (Big Picture Mode) and in some cases even less compatibility as funny as that is (see Horizon games VRAM issues)

[@techindex1]

Interesting, I’m tempted to go with a ROG Ally or Legion Go in that case as they seem to perform better in desktop mode

[@andrewmorris483]

@@MichaelNROH I agree. I can (almost) guarantee that I got my Deck before you, and I have tried to run Windows on it twice. I have come to the conclusion that it is the worst thing you can do for either of them. It is like mixing a Great Dane with a Chihuahua. You could theoretically do it, they are both Canis Lupus Familiaris/Operating Systems, but other than just to see what would happen, it's kinda self-defeating. Small dogs have long lives, large dogs are more gentle (in general). Windows isn't as scary to some people, but lacks the ability to be tailored to that specialized device.

[@skelebro9999]

I use SteamOS btw.

[@MichaelNROH]

SteamOS, SteamOS or SteamOS like in Holo ISO?

[@skelebro9999]

@@MichaelNROH I use SteamOS/HoloISO by the way.

[@byfdani]

you should say "I use Arch with steam skin btw" LOL

[@skelebro9999]

@@byfdani "I use Arch made by Gaben."

[@le0pin]

lol

[@EdLrandom]

1:55 I don't remembr how I enabled it, but the reason why it's off is cause steam keyboard is not capable of rendering over a lock screen so you have to use a real keyboard or map keys on your sicks layout (better solution) for example map a layer with numbers and make a number based password.

[@carpentb17]

I really would like a steam deck as a laptop replacement but I need the password replacement. Or it would be great if I could run steam OS on my current hardware but neither is possible now😢

[@cptncutleg]

My Steam Deck is my daily driver as an work computer and a low-end gaming machine. For anything intensive, I have a PC I stream from.

[@Soup-man]

I've done college work on it just to see, and it works I guess.

[@LightBringer666]

the steam deck isn't meant to be used as a desktop, but it can do its job when needed. when my pain pc died and idon't have the spending power to buy a new one, the steam deck has been serving me well, but with time i've started to figure out its limitations. i think the solution valve can handle this with is adding an extra release alongside the stable/beta options for people who want to use it more like a portable desktop and not just a console my main use for the steam deck was just a console for emulating and gaming, but i had to use it as a desktop once my main one died, am i looking for a replacement? probably not a portable one... frankly a mini-pc desktop dedicated for art/editing/music..etc. and maybe the games that the steam deck can't run, would probably provide me the best experience. so for my fellow viewers, don't let this dissuade you from using the steam deck as you want, the flexibility is still high regardless of the setbacks, and with enough voices valve can probably provide a fix for that, make it hard to access/change the setting for the average user...etc. i'd say the steamdeck is a usercase product, if you're just a gamer who wants a PC-game console, it works, if you want a low-power PC that you can carry around and use instead of lugging around your gaming laptop to events or hangouts? it works. the desktop usage, i'd say, is probably going to be limited to "i can't carry my desktop so the SD will do for now" and that depends on what you do. overall i'd say it's a great device with lots of flexibility, but valve can definitely please the smaller demographic of users like us who maybe want to use the steam deck as a dedicated cheap-option portable gaming pc

[@warlockboyburns]

The only problem i had with desktop mode is I couldn't select a bunch of files with the track pad but I turned on gyro in the steam settings and now I can do that.

[@MichaelNROH]

You can also trigger a left click with the R2 trigger. Holding it and selecting files works fine that way

[@elecbaguette]

just install your own linux distro to dualboot on it?

[@markusaulbach3417]

Because of the limitations with printing I installed a complete debian 12 on a separat external 1TB ssd (usb attached on steam deck Dock). This is my desktop for now on. There is no limitation I have faced up to know in conjunction to a normal desktop. Two monitors give me the feeeling of my normal desktop with cups working for printing and scanning..... The boot manager clover and the SteamDeck Dock are required to have that work without limitations.

[@FengLengshun]

I think there are some offload stuffs that you can do to make changes added through AUR or Nix permanent? Probably some sort of auto-mount/overlay from another folder, but I could've sworn that they've added it. As a secondary option, you could use Universal Blue's Bazzite for Deck, which you can more easily layer or make custom image of. I'd say, if you're going to use it more as a desktop replacement, it might even worth it to set up a blue-build repo to get your own custom images. (PS - I prefer input-remapper over Piper. They just work with more devices for me)

[@MichaelNROH]

Technically you can make everything persistent, as long as you can install it in userspace. For some applications, you can do that, but there are some dependencies that might need kernel access

[@FengLengshun]

@@MichaelNROH I don't think there's that many that needs kernel modifications - VMware does come to mind, I suppose. Outside of that, I'm pretty sure mounting, overlayfs, and systemd-sysext which is a mix of both should suffice for most things. But yeah, if you need heavy modifications, it might be worth it to setup a custom Bazzite image (it takes like 7 clicks or so when I did it) or grab and modify someone's NixOS setup for Steam Deck.

[@theannoyingcitrus]

You could try bazzite which is immutable but you can overlay packages.

[@Infinit3Enigma]

Whats stopping anyone from dual booting another distro for "desktop" needs?

[@idavew]

You can set a pincode that requires to be put in while awaking up from sleep and/or switching to Desktop mode from gaming mode. Within desktop mode you can't lock it without any tweaks.

[@MichaelNROH]

Exactly my point yes

[@RubyRoks]

Glad to see this video. My Deck may become my main PC for a few months and i was curious what i'll have to deal with during that process.

[@oceanmew]

For some reason this guy didn't install a desktop OS on the deck, but if you do use yours as a desktop, I'd recommend installing a normal desktop linux distro instead of the gaming focused SteamOS! It'll be a lot less headache!

[@RubyRoks]

@@oceanmew A lot less headache until i inevitably use the Deck for the purpose i bought it for, which is gaming. I actually agree with Michael's decision to use SteamOS as is in this video, as even in the instance it'd have to be my main machine, it's still going to be a gaming system first and foremost.

[@laur9251]

It's also terrible for connecting to Enterprise WiFi connections, as the PEAP protocol is completely broken (though that goes for Arch overall), which is quite frustrating if you're, say, at a university or a corporate workplace.

[@steventechno]

Thankfully it's a PC at heart and can run other operating systems . My main gripe about Stock steamOS is the lack of Printer support. CUPS is entirely absent and the few times I use my roommate's printer, I find myself booting into Windows 11 just for it. The printer does usually work beautifully with Linux, but my old laptops are put away.

[@oo--7714]

A big issue for me was my xp pen tablet not working properly at all, whenever the pen was detected the WiFi module just switched off on my steam deck. Installing drivers is also a lot harder than I expected considering you have to switch to dev mode and even the driver that you added will just be removed when steamos likes to update. I have used ubunt/zorin os before on one of my older laptops, and it was a lot less hard to get stuff running on that even though you had to use the terminal. Makes it too much of a hassle. The low amount of storage space on the 64gb model also was a bit difficult to deal with and trying to move heroic to my sd card and install games on it didn’t go very well as steam couldn’t detect the games properly, On my rog ally, the stuff works properly, the drivers work fine and I can use my xp pen tablet properly. So eh. :P The desktop experience of the steam deck imo is a lot worse than the ally imo. Also the steam x to open the keyboard is a bit bad imo. Always just felt redundant.

[@MrRunItUp]

I installed windows 11 with dual boot and used it as my main PC for a whole year before I upgraded and got my gaming laptop.

[@PaperReaper]

My steam OS desktop experience has been plagued with random bugs (some games dont launch and give xserver errors in desktop mode). Also immutable nature is very annoying. I tolerate those things but honestly I might just throw another distro on it for testing.

[@IspaykiTech]

Just installed 2tb from 64gb steamdeck,and added 1tb microsd. Then created a triple booth of steam os,windows 10 and batocera. Downloaded valves windows driver and installed handheld companion.

[@LucMarGui]

Thanks a lot for this video! SteamOS was the mais reason that awakened me the interest into discovering others distros using KDE Plasma as their Desktop environments, and I was always questioning myself if I could use the SteamDeck as a daily driver backup computer. The lack of a proper user management and passwords, alongside with networks features makes it a no-go. But it also make me device moving away from Nvidia to a full AMD system for my next gaming Desktop I'm the bear future.

[@user-wx9oj2gv9u]

Using steam deck for regular users are just fine it does the basics like windows, but if you are not a techy you need a learning curve which is if you don't like it's fair to use simple OS like windows.

[@BilliboJoe]

Hast du zufällig einmal bei Kufner in Weißkirchen in den Sommerferien gearbeitet? Du kommst mir unglaublich bekannt vor 🤔

[@aleksrojek594]

just dual boot windows on 2tb drive. I use it daily. no problems

[@mrcvry]

Just in case I need a backup PC, I installed Office and Teams. It works.

[@GIRGHGH]

I don't see why there can't just be one login for both desktop AND gaming mode. Why does it have to be a choice between none for desktop or two separate ones? Surely a lockscreen doesn't need to be latched to one or the other right? Can someone explain?

[@MichaelNROH]

For the same reason the switch doesn't have one either. Convinience. I guess somehow it seems like not locking a console has become the standard, but more features are always better

[@GIRGHGH]

Your video gave me the impression that it did have a login password for game mode though. I don't see how it's more convenient for it if one mode has one but the other mode doesn't. My comment was just asking why the different modes need to treat logging in separately, it's just one OS right?

[@MichaelNROH]

@@GIRGHGH No, it only has a passphrase when switching from game mode to Desktop mode. Otherwise there is no locking at all

[@GIRGHGH]

@@MichaelNROH That's what I meant, sorry.

[@ecoterrorist1402]

then thought you had Demons Souls on deck.

[@morkanz6998]

Doesnt having it always in charge, mess up its batery?

[@MichaelNROH]

Always charging a battery is not ideal, however batteries are not constantly charging anymore, but cut the power when they are full. Some even "secretely" drop a few percentages to preserve the life expectency. You should be fine for a couple of years.

[@KatieIsScared]

You can enable the lock screen in the settings inside gaming mode

[@MichaelNROH]

Only a Pin for switching. That's not proper locking though

[@TechNAquatic]

Some linux user said use distrobox for install another linux for work without reboot.

[@felixelton]

Thanks for this video. Steam Deck desktop mode is a thing that I've been researching a lot lately. I'm thinking of not owning a full desktop pc. Instead I'd buy a Steam Deck to play games and doing some desktop work and buying a Samsung S24 for all the other stuff. Samsung Dex looks really good for the things I normally do on a PC and it have nice cameras too.

[@ShoesArtwork]

what if you installed Nobara in your deck? it gives you most/all of the SteamOS functionality while not being immutable

[@MichaelNROH]

Steam OS is optimized on the Steam Deck, while Nobara needs to support a way broader range of devices. If a device has a dedicated Linux distro opimized for it, then that's usually the most painless experience

[@ShoesArtwork]

@@MichaelNROH fair enough. what about using distrobox on stock steamos?

[@enderpirate9887]

What about trying out bazzite on it?

[@bonkCsM]

I daily drive my steamdeck as a 'desktop' by using it as a thin client connected to my PC using Moonlight/Sunshine. That's technically cheating, but it works for me, and keeps heat and noise away from where I'm sitting using the computer. At my desk I have 2.5gbps ethernet running from my tower hidden in the house to the deck dock on a desk, if i wanna play on the couch I'm just using 5ghz wifi, but the OLED has issues with wifi 6 and isn't as good as it could be running wireless.

[@MichaelNROH]

Hey, that's kinda awesome

[@MyurrDurr]

I wish SteamOS was based on Fedora Kinoite - Immutable - Doesnt remove what you install upon system update - Creates a backup session in GRUB you can boot to incase an update goes wrong

[@luckydev3911]

I use it exclusively, distrobox is your best friend

[@iNdepDev]

What is that software at 6:30 ?

[@MichaelNROH]

Piper

[@iNdepDev]

@@MichaelNROH

[@markusaulbach3417]

I want to make a comment about your statement concerning missing security (lock screen, login): Just establish a script with the kde lock screen command "loginctl lock-session" in a file and use it as autostart script for kde. That will establish a basic password prompt of lock screen. A starter on the desktop might use this script too.

[@mdexterc2894]

I'll probably dualboot OpenSUSE as a workstation mode, as I wouldn't really want to mess with what makes SteamDeck good for games

[@thieftheodore]

Why not carry extra sd card for dual boot from there?

[@MichaelNROH]

I'm not a fan of dual booting personally. Just wastes a lot of storage

[@thieftheodore]

@@MichaelNROH I agree if it's regular laptop/desktop. But on steam deck it's just a matter of swapping extra sdcard

[@oo0Spyder0oo]

No idea why steam deck isn’t so accessible in Aus, can’t walk into any local store for one anywhere. All online purchases which leaves you at the mercy of returns to who knows where if something goes wrong. I was going to get one this Easter but now I’m looking at the legion go.

[@MichaelNROH]

I mean Valve is a digital first company, so it's not all that surprising 😅

[@FakeMichau]

time to dualboot proper arch

[@notuxnobux]

Immutable distro is terrible for desktop use (immutable as opposed to atomic)

[@kingforkings]

just get nobara or setup fedora or arch

[@s1ocky]

The entire time I was thinking this. I use my SteamDeck docked to a 1440p monitor every day. I can't play everything at 1440p (obviously?) but it's great for general use. It's approximately equal in power to my laptop, and for the most part works like any other (Linux) distro, including the ability to install mouse software (though I'm running Solaar). It also plays with my printer for the once or twice a month I printer better then my last remaining Windows 10 machine.

[@Versanitybutreal]

Hello from Linux Mint with gnome DE

[@gsestream]

rpi works too

[@foss_sound]

Valve fckd the CS2 experience so I finally got rid of my Deck. I really liked it, but the lack of an easy "real" desktop experience and the lack of playing the only game which is important to me got me frustrated more and more.

[@MichaelNROH]

Performance is really terrible in CS2 at the moment. I can't even play a game of Arms race without dropping to a 100fps, which used to be 300-400 at launch (in deathmatch though)

[@foss_sound]

@@MichaelNROHBut this is on internal screen, right? I played docked with 2k screen at FullHD with low to mid settings and CS GO was fine. CS2 wasnt even playable above 30fps. A shame for the developer of both.

[@foss_sound]

@@MichaelNROH I just checked: 100fps is pretty ok ...I get around 90fps without fire/smoke in sight with my "gaming" laptop with ryzen 4800H and internal gfx on low quality and 1600px. With Win11. Way less with nobara (feodra apin for gaming). But still more than with the Deck.

[@unkown34x33]

guess on steam deck 2 valve needs to add a finger print sensor, and have it the screen locked with a password. just like the ally can. steam deck is great as a handheld! but... as an actual pc... I'm sticking with windows for the time being.

[@V3ntilator]

This is why i bought Lenovo Legion Go handheld instead. It's a Handheld, Laptop, Desktop hybrid.

[@CoyoteDiver]

It being Linux, can't you just make your own security and work arounds !?

[@nittani.]

I use openbox

[@_devilfish303]

install bazzite, its better than stock steamos, not sure why my previous comment was deleted, thats the name of the OS

[@bullseye0419]

I dual boot into Windows and I haven't looked back anymore. I haven't experienced the worse battery life that people were talking about.

[@notuxnobux]

I run manjaro on my steam deck because immutable distros are terrible for productivity. Immutable distros are made to mindlessly consume content

[@JNY-kn8cu]

Windows 10

[@IfritBoi]

Short answer: Just don't Long answer: You can definitely use it like a desktop but you'll want to dual boot Windows so you can do everything if you want to keep SteamOS or use ChimeraOS or HoloOS; Otherwise, just download Windows and most of your desktop functions should be there

[@seppeseppe-jq7nr]

linux ? meh , i stay with my legend windows 🎉🎉🎉