A curated list of awesome things regarding Valve's Steam Deck.
- Wagner's Tech Talk Steam Deck Guide
- Mike Royal's Steam Deck Guide
- Steam Sale Schedule - Dates for all known Steam sales
- *NEW* Steam Deck 256GB LCD, 512GB OLED, 1TB OLED
- Dave2D's OLED Screen comparisons
- The 1TB OLED Etched Glass diminishes some of the benefits of an OLED screen
- The OLED versions have longer battery life vs. the LCD version
- The 512GB OLED model seems to be the model to get, particularly if you plan to do an SSD Upgrade
- Steam OLED Reddit Megathread
- Dave2D's OLED Screen comparisons
- The Glossy vs. Etched Glass Debate (1st Generation)
- Speed Differences of Internal Storage Options (1st Generation)
- Limitations of the 64GB Model (1st Generation)
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Storage (internal SSD)
- Internal SSD Upgrade
- PSA: Remove your microSD Before Opening Your Steam Deck
- eBay Search for "M.2 2230 SSD" Drives
- Popular brands: Kioxia (Toshiba), Kingston, Western Digital, SK Hynix
- tl;dr - Make sure that it is a single-sided M.2 2230 form factor SSD
- Steam Deck Recovery Instructions - Link to recovery image can be found here
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Storage (external microSD)
- microSD Card Specs Guide
- Infographic on microSD Specs
- Steam Deck Tech Specs - UHS-I controller
- Popular brands: Lexar Play, Samsung EVO and PRO, Sandisk Extreme
- tl;dr - Get a reputable U3 A2 UHS-I microSD card
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Screen protector
- For 512GB owners - Screen Protector Pros & Cons
- amFilm Screen Protector (Glossy)
- MagGlass Matte Anti-glare Etched Glass Screen Protector
- tl;dr - Divided opinions on whether people like the matte glass protector and how it affects color and clarity
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Case
- tomtoc Carrying Case - Larger Pouch with Shoulder Strap
- MVRPDXC Sling Bag-style Case
- Daydayup Carrying Case
- JSAUX Carrying Case
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Chargers and Docks
- Steam Deck Charging Info - Everything you need to know about charging your Steam Deck
- ACEFAST GaN 65W Charger Dock - Combo charger and mini-dock with USB-C, USB-A, and 4K/HD HDMI
- Anker Nano II 45W Charger - The tiniest charger for your Steam Deck
- JSAUX Dock - 3 USB-A port
- KUNSLUCK Stand Base - Just a stand, not a dock with silicone padding
- Anker USB-C Travel Hub
- 90 Degree Rear-facing USB-C Adapter
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Power Banks
- Baseus Power Bank - 65W 20,000mAh - TSA/Airplane safe
- Baseus Power Bank - 65W 30,000mAh - Not TSA/Airplane safe
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Controllers
- How to Connect an External Controller
- Aftermarket hall-sensor stick options and known issues
- Hall Effect Joysticks - What is it and Why Does It Matter
- ElecGear Replacement Joystick - requires soldering, but functionally better than the GuliKit
- GuliKit Hall Sensor Replacement Joystick v2 - no solder drop in replacement sticks, but known issues with a square outer deadzone
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Non-Steam Game Installers
- Heroic Games Launcher - The best
Epic GamesandGOGgame launcher installer- Steam Deck Install Documentation
- Epic Games Fixes
- Celeste - Black Screen Fix
- Fall Guys - enabling Epic Online Services and EasyAntiCheat
- Red Dead Redemption 2 - Social Club Error Code 18
- tl;dr Use this for
Epic GamesandGOG-based games
- Lutris - General Purpose Game Launcher
- Dexerto Guide to Installing Lutris
- tl;dr Use this for everything else like
Origin GamesandAmazon Prime Gaming
- GDLauncher - Best Minecraft launcher supporting Vanilla, Fabric, Forge and FTB builds
- NonSteamLaunchers - Up and coming script to install many non-Steam Launchers under 1 Proton prefix
- Heroic Games Launcher - The best
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Steam Setup
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General Game Performance
- CryoByte33 Explaining Performance Boosts with swapfile, swappiness, and VRAM mods post-SteamOS 3.3.2
- CryoByte33's CryoUtilities - User-friendly scripts to adjust swapfile, swappiness, and TRIM
- Increase Your swapfile Manually
- CyroUtilities 2.0 Announcement
- Remember to update UMA Frame buffer size after SteamOS 3.5
- Why the 40fps Hype is Real - The frametime and power consumption sweet spot
- Steam Deck HQ Game Settings
- ShareDeck Game Settings
- Reddit Thread on Various Games
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced game compatibility reports
- CryoByte33 Explaining Performance Boosts with swapfile, swappiness, and VRAM mods post-SteamOS 3.3.2
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Windows
- How to Install Stock Windows on Steam Deck
- What is tiny11? - An Alternative Stripped Down Version of Windows 11
- Steam Deck Tools - Fan Control, Performance Overlay, Power Control for Windows
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Emulation
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- RetroGameCorps's EmuDeck Guide
- Wagner's Tech Talk EmuDeck Guide
- Steam ROM Manager - Managing ROMs in Steam
- Flatseal - Allow File System Access Outside of Flatpak Sandboxes
- Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, etc. via EmuDeck's Cloud Services Manager - Streaming services in Game Mode
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Emulator-specific
- Cemu - Wii U Emulator
- PS1 and PS2 - Where to Install BIOS files
- RPCS3 - PS3 Emulator
- ScummVM
- Nintendo Switch Emulation
- Alexwpi Game's Yuzu vs Ryujinx Emulators Performance Test in 50 Games - Updated 2023
- Yuzu - Nintendo Switch Emulator
- OhNoItsAlexx's Yuzu Emulator Guide
- Yuzu Games Compatibility List
- pinEApple Yuzu Early Access Builds - The latest yuzu EA builds
- YuzuUpdater.sh - A script to update yuzu to the latest version
- Connecting Joy-Cons in Yuzu
- Ryujinx - Nintendo Switch Emulator
- Definitive Guide to Every Sonic Game
- Nintendo GameCube and Wii Emulation
- DolphinBar - Wiimote to USB wireless sensor bar
- Using DolphinBar with Steam Deck - The easiest way to connect Wiimotes to your Steam Deck
- Using 2 Candles Instead of a Sensor Bar to Get the Wiimotes to Work | Link 2 - This is not a joke
- How to Create a Mii/Run the Mii Channel - Create Miis to be used in games, you can also transfer your Miis via Wiimotes from your original Wii consoles
- Use Audio Stretching to Fix Audio Stuttering
- DolphinBar - Wiimote to USB wireless sensor bar
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General Emulation Performance Fixes
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Utilities
- Decky Plugin Loader - All plugins installed in the Decky Marketplace
- Animation Changer - Download, manage, and randomize boot/suspend animations from SteamDeckRepo
- AutoFlatpaks - Manage Flatpaks within gaming mode
- Battery Tracker - Track battery usage over time with graphs
- Game Theme Music - Play theme songs on your game pages
- PowerTools Plugin - Adjust CPU and GPU limits
- SteamGridDB - Manage Steam artwork from within gaming mode
- Storage Cleaner - Manage shader cache and compatibility data
- vibrantDeck - Adjust screen saturation / vibrancy
- ProtonUp-Qt - Install and manage multiple versions of Proton-GE
- Shader Cache Killer - Allows you to manage Shader Caches stored in your internal storage. Handy for 64GB owners who are running out of space on their Steam Deck.
- File Transfer to/from Steam Deck
- (Easy) Warpinator/Winpinator - dedicated file sharing application installed on the Steam Deck and Windows PC
- (Medium) Remote Samba Share - Steam Deck accessing remote servers via SMB
- (Medium) Mount ext4 Filesystems on Windows with WSL2 - Good for mounting ext4-formatted microSDs on Windows
- (Hard) SyncThing | Config - Automatically sync folders on Steam Deck and remote machines
- Decky Plugin Loader - All plugins installed in the Decky Marketplace
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Developer / Linux Tools
- popsulfr's Advanced Steam Deck Tips and Tricks
- Distrobox - Use any Linux distribution inside your terminal.
- Rwfus - Use pacman on the Steam Deck without losing packages when the next update comes out
- Automatically update installed flatpaks - setup systemd timers to update flatpaks
- Hardware Tips and Tricks
- Toggling Desktop-oriented and Gamepad-oriented Controls - Useful for swapping to a controller layout when in desktop mode
- Touchpad Circular Scrolling - no need to flick up/down repeatedly, just scroll iPod wheel style
- Installing an AirTag in your Steam Deck
- Foxxhound29's tweak to insulate the airtag - Some folks recommend kapton tape instead of electric tape