In which we gush about the openness of the Steam Deck for a bit.

never doubt our ability to play a game we last thought about a decade ago

We were in the process of downloading Endgame: Singularity to our Steam Deck when we had the thought of once again appreciating how much this thing is “just a computer”.

Because we weren’t just downloading it on Steam - it’s an open source game not available there. We connected to our Steam Deck via ssh, cloned the repository from Github using git clone, opened Konsole on the Deck, and attempted to run the game using the suggested python -m singularity - failed due to a missing dependency on polib. Run pip, only to find that’s missing. One quick search later, and pip now installed and on $PATH - and from there was able to install the remaining dependencies on polib, pygame, and numpy - and then add the included shell script to Steam as a non-Steam game, and now the whole thing Just Works in gaming mode as well.

consoles and computers

To some extent, “just a computer” is an accurate statement for a lot of consoles - particularly the Xbox line, which do tend to be running some variant of Windows under the hood. (Without looking it up, pretty sure some of the PlayStations are running variants of BSD, too).

But the Steam Deck is the first console we can think of that (optionally) exposes the full power of being just a computer (at least, as an intended experience). All modern Xbox consoles do expose a “developer mode” environment for game and application development, but this is heavily sandboxed; I cannot, for example, create a PowerShell or ssh session to download screenshots, saves or other files from my purchased games to a location I so choose.

Because of this, the Deck fits in our life the way we want it to.

picture perfect

We take a lot of screenshots in some games, but something about the Steam Cloud interface for uploading them from Deck or downloading them on other machines has never quite gelled with us. ¹

But we never have to use it. We use the lnshot utility ² to automatically symlink them with meaningful folder names into /home/deck/Pictures/Steam Screenshots/ - and then use rsync invoked by a Shortcut on Mac to copy that directory to somewhere we’d rather see them.

Similarly, we’ll do a lot of solo VRChat testing on Deck - and we absolutely do not want to have to remember that photos taken using VRC’s in-game camera go to /home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/438100/pfx/drive_c/Users/steamuser/Pictures/VRChat - another rsync command as part of the same Shortcut copies that to a location within the usual place we store VRC photos.

emulating behaviour

We’re also a big fan of EmuDeck, as an all in one solution that lets you trivially get started with your own collection of legally ripped games. It’s easy to get started with following RetroGameCorps’ guide. And all the games you want just appear in your Steam library, like all your other games - the biggest issue is just some of them appearing with the wrong box art.

propulsion gel

I know that we’re barely scratching the surface of what could be done.

We spent some time collecting The Sims 1 and all expansion packs when we saw them in game store bargain bins for 50p. At some point, I want to connect a DVD drive and install all of them - because it’s just a computer.

We have friends that have made the Deck part of their streaming setups; a local copy of OBS, and a video source, whether that’s an internet broadcast or if they’ve hooked up a TV tuner. Because of course they can - it’s just a computer.

There’s a wonderful thread on Mastodon detailing how the reveal video for the Steam Deck OLED was done; controlling each one with a standard designed for video walls - because it’s just a computer.

We could install Unity on there, use it for hosting Pi-hole ³, or the staging version of this website. Docked, we could use it for the writing we do. There’s probably a way to use it for penetration testing with the default OS, but also you could just put an OS made for pen testing on there. Or Windows! If we want to install specific mods for Skyrim, we can do it. ⁴ We would like to at some point try managing it with Ansible. We haven’t delved into the potential available themes for KDE Plasma.

The choice is the user’s to do anything. But it’s also never a choice you have to make if you don’t want to. You can stay in Gaming Mode all the time, and we’ve never seen that crash out to desktop. (We don’t have that much experience with the Windows based competition, but it seems less adept at letting you just be in its own interface)

the future of freedom

The openness of the Steam Deck is a large reason why we’re more excited for Valve’s much rumoured upcoming “Deckard” VR headset than we are the Apple Vision Pro - because we thoroughly expect this philosophy to carry over.

For better or worse, a lot of our current digital life is wrapped up in Apple’s platforms, and the Vision Pro is enticing from that aspect (or at least, a future not-$3500 headset).

But we look at it and see a device which will likely have a lot of the same limitations as the iPad, a device we’ve already fallen out of love with.

ℹ️	info There was a lot of text about the iPad here, moved to an appendix.

At least as of 2023, the iPad isn’t allowed to be just a computer. And the Vision Pro won’t be either. It can connect to one, but that still means carrying around that other computer as well. The Vision Pro at least makes a better argument for itself as a secondary device from what’s been shown so far - but Apple’s guidelines already show a level of control over what can be done with Vision Pro itself. ⁵

But Deckard? If Deckard is built on the same base of SteamOS, it will also be just a computer. And providing the hardware is good enough, I can see amazing things happening with that. A SlimeVR server for full body tracking, running at the same time as the game you want to be tracked in. An app for downloading Synth Riders mods, right there on device. To be able to ssh to it from a laptop we’re looking at through the passthrough cameras.

And just like the Deck itself, there will be uses for it we haven’t even conceived of until they’re here.

lambda cache

It’s difficult for us to not see the Steam Deck like Valve’s possibly most well known piece of iconography, the humble crowbar.

Because like a crowbar, it’s a tool that opens doors. It creates opportunities. It pries back things that would be kept hidden. It’s probably reasonably effective against headcrabs.

It’s got us more interested in Linux. It’s forced ASUS and Lenovo to bring their own competition to the table, even if I believe that those devices are held back by the lack of customization possible with Windows. It’s caused other companies to develop bespoke accessories.

And at the same time, it also feels wrong to praise it for things that any Linux device could do - but what makes it is the form factor, the layer of simplicity on top, and the fact that so many people have this thing. For now, many will be content just playing Vampire Survivors - but the option is always there if they want to pop the hood.

To misquote, “the right computer in the right place can make all the difference in the world”.

asides and appendices

a long aside about the iPad

But we look at it and see a device which will likely have a lot of the same limitations as the iPad, a device we’ve already fallen out of love with.

A device which feels like it’s constantly butting up against the walls of the garden; it can do a narrow selection of things really well but as soon as those boundaries are left, it requires fighting tooth and nail to even try to compete with what can be done with a “real computer”, if that’s even possible.

A device where the decision on what software can be run will still largely be made by App Store moderators - sideloading might eventually be possible with EU regulation, but we can guarantee that every barrier will be put in the way.

The main use we currently have for the iPad is as a travel computer (both for long trips and to use in the office alongside work laptop), because we don’t want to risk the machines we actually get work done on. Even in that role, we find ourselves continually frustrated by barriers that do not need to be in the way. The iPhone and Watch do not have these frustrations because their form factor does not have the same temptations of trying to use them productively as a first resort; they can handle a quick email but we wouldn’t want to be typing out this post on our phone. (If your job involves making a lot of phone calls, then the phone might be the best tool for the job)

All of these problems would be fixed with a “switch to MacOS” option for the iPad. To be able to use the best tool for the job at any time - because sometimes the simplicity of the iPadOS side would be the correct choice.

return to previous header

footnotes