How (and Why) to Use Your Steam Deck’s ‘Desktop’ Mode

The Steam Deck makes your PC video games really feel like they have been constructed for handheld gaming, but it surely’s type of like a elaborate phantasm. Beneath the hood, the Steam Deck is actually a Linux PC that employs a consumer interface made for a controller. What meaning is that you simply, the consumer, can simply dive underneath that hood with Steam’s Desktop interface and begin modding and tweaking your video games, identical to you’d on an everyday gaming PC.

Whenever you’re in Desktop mode, you may discover a full Linux desktop atmosphere (particularly, KDE Plasma) full with Firefox for searching the net, a file supervisor, and the complete desktop Steam interface. Whereas it really works a bit of in a different way than one thing like Home windows, for those who’re used to tweaking settings or modifying your recreation recordsdata in Steam, this mode will appear acquainted.

That is additionally the mode you may must entry if you wish to set up third-party launchers, mod your video games, or run emulators. There’s a lot energy ready for you behind a easy change in interface. This is find out how to get began.

The way to entry Desktop mode

Valve has made it remarkably straightforward to swap to Desktop mode, and it should not be intimidating to anybody. Listed here are the steps:

1. Press the Steam button (beneath the left touchpad).

2. Choose Energy.

3. Choose Swap to Desktop.

That is it. Straightforward, proper? Take into accout, that is technically restarting your console, so for those who’re in the midst of a recreation, save any progress you’ve gotten. After a quick black display screen, you may see a desktop UI with just a few desktop shortcuts and a toolbar alongside the underside.

The way to navigate the desktop on a Steam Deck

Whilst you can technically join a mouse and keyboard to make use of this as a desktop, you do not have to. There are just a few fundamental controls you may must be taught, however when you do, you’ll navigate identical to it was every other PC.

• The touchscreen. At first, since it is a touchscreen, you possibly can faucet instantly on something on the display screen. It isn’t essentially the most exact methodology, but it surely needs to be talked about up entrance.

• The proper trackpad is your mouse. Similar to the touchpad in your laptop, you should utilize the appropriate trackpad to manage the desktop cursor.

• The left trackpad is your scroll wheel. It may be a bit of wonky, however swipe up and down on the left trackpad and you may scroll via web sites or menus which have focus. 

• Click on and right-click with the appropriate and left triggers, respectively. To click on on one thing, press the appropriate set off. To right-click on one thing, press the left set off. Sure, it sounds counterintuitive once you describe it, however when you’re doing it, it feels much more pure.

• Press Steam + X to drag up the on-screen keyboard. That is the least intuitive a part of the interface, but when it’s good to enter textual content, press Steam + X. This shortcut will invoke the digital keyboard. You may then dismiss it once you’re accomplished by urgent the keyboard icon on the underside proper.

These fundamental controls will allow you to navigate the overwhelming majority of the desktop interface. It’d really feel a bit of cumbersome at first, however you get the grasp of it rapidly. With that in thoughts, you can begin messing round in your Steam Deck’s recordsdata.

Set up non-Steam recreation launchers

Steam is likely to be the default official recreation retailer for the Steam Deck, however you possibly can technically set up others. Previously, this was a little bit of a problem, however long-suffering volunteers have made instruments to make it simpler than ever. You may set up launchers like GOG Galaxy and even Epic Video games Retailer with a bit of effort.

Remember the fact that none of those are formally supported, and you need to analysis set up strategies particularly for the Steam Deck to get them working. The Steam Deck runs on a Linux construct, and it is solely capable of run Home windows functions via the frankly magic Proton compatibility layer. You are venturing into buggier territory with this path, however you will discover entry to a ton of video games you could not have in any other case performed with the default Steam Deck setup.

Begin modding your video games

Modding is without doubt one of the greatest methods to breathe new life into your favourite video games, and Steam is often tremendous pleasant to it. Whereas there’s not a simple technique to do it from the default Steam Deck, its desktop mode opens that world proper up. You should use Firefox to browse fashionable mod websites like NexusMods and the Dolphin file browser to dig via your recreation recordsdata.

Since you too can entry the desktop model of Steam, it is simpler to undergo your recreation recordsdata. Proper-click (that’s, left set off) on any recreation in your Library, choose Properties > Put in Recordsdata, then click on on Browse to drag up the folder the place that recreation’s recordsdata are situated.

In some (uncommon) instances, it may be even simpler. NexusMods is at present growing a Steam Deck model of its mod supervisor app that at present formally helps Stardew Valley, with extra video games deliberate for future help.

Join peripherals for the complete PC expertise

With the Steam Deck’s USB-C port, you possibly can join a variety of peripherals that allow you to successfully flip your Deck into a complete PC. Valve even has an official docking station (although you too can discover cheaper ones from corporations like Anker). It additionally helps Bluetooth connections for wi-fi keyboards and mice. With this you possibly can join:

• Exterior screens. The Steam Deck has a 1280×800 panel (both IPS or OLED, relying in your mannequin), which is nice for its measurement, but it surely’s hardly excessive res. When you’d slightly play your video games on one thing larger and extra detailed, you possibly can join an exterior monitor to play on.

• Keyboards and mice. Clearly, Steam and its video games have been designed with a PC interface in thoughts. Whereas the Steam Deck has accomplished a terrific job of creating video games really feel at house on a handheld, you possibly can all the time join a mouse and keyboard as a fallback. This additionally makes navigating desktop mode simpler.

• Exterior exhausting drives. One of many largest downsides of the Steam Deck is its restricted storage capability. Quite than continuously redownloading your video games, you possibly can plug in an exterior drive and swap out your video games from there, by way of desktop mode. You will save a ton of time (and bandwidth) over deleting and redownloading.

• Ethernet adapters. The Steam Deck is at its greatest once you’re taking part in single-player video games, for my part. Nevertheless, if you would like to often use it for on-line play, you may get higher latency over an Ethernet connection. Docking stations can add this performance whereas docked with out having to spend money on a complete laptop computer.

When you solely ever use a Steam Deck in handheld mode, you may most likely have a good time. The expertise is so refined at this level that you simply’d be forgiven for considering each recreation on Steam was designed with the hand held in thoughts first. Nevertheless, for those who’re prepared to courageous much less typical waters, the Steam Deck’s desktop mode is a gateway to the type of tinkering energy usually reserved for the full-fledged PC crowd.