Category: Steam Deck

SSH Into Your Steam Deck

I have a dock for my Steam Deck but often it is just easier to login and transfer files remotely. It is quick and easy to set up and once done makes transferring files and other tweaks a breeze.

Setting up SSH.

  • Enter Desktop Mode by holding the power button and selecting Switch to Desktop.
  • Click the Application Launcher and select Konsole.
  • Set a password for the default user “deck”by entering “passwd”and entering the password you want to use on the Steam Deck.
  • Start SSHD
sudo systemctl start sshd
  • Enable SSHD to run after you reboot.
sudo systemctl enable sshd

If at some point you want to disable SSHD, enter the following commands.

sudo systemctl stop sshd
sudo systemctl disable sshd

Once you completed all the steps above you will be able to access your Steam Deck. Most of the time I use Filezilla to transfer files.

  • Host is the IP address of your Steam Deck.
  • Username is "deck" by default.
  • Password is the password you just set in Konsole.
  • Port is "22" by default.

If you don't know the IP address of your Steam Deck follow these steps.

  • Press the STEAM button
  • Select Settings
  • Select Internet
  • Select your network
  • Your IP address is listed below.

Simple Steam Deck Mods

I recently got my Steam Deck and in addition to playing a ton of games, I also made a few modifications.

A new skin.

One of the few things I dislike about the Steam Deck is the smoothness and lack of grip. I added a skin from https://dbrand.com/shop/steam-deck-skins/details and it feels much better. I won’t go into the details of applying the skin since the videos they provide are better than I could, but I do have a few tips.

  • Take your time. What they did in the 12 minute video took me just over an hour.
  • Use heat. It will make the material more pliable and easier to work with.

A custom boot screen.

I also added a custom boot video and I’ll share the steps below.

  1. Change System Update Channel.
  • Press the STEAM button and scroll down to Settings
  • Select System
  • Set Beta Participation to Preview
  • Update and restart the Steam Deck
  1. Go to Desktop Mode.
  • Hold the power button until the menu appears
  • Select Switch to Desktop
  1. Create the file to store your videos.
  • Open Dolphin by clicking the file icon on the bottom left side of the screen
  • Select the hamburger icon (3 lines) and select Show Hidden Files
  • Navigate to ~/.steam/root/config
  • Create a folder called “uioverrides” and open it.
  • Inside the uioverrides folder, create a new folder named “movies”.
  1. Get you video ready.
  • Rename the video you want to use as “deck_startup.webm”
  • Move that file to the movies file you created earlier. I use FileZilla to transfer the file.
  1. Restart your Steam Deck and watch your new boot animation.

I get my videos from https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeckBootVids/ and https://steamdeckrepo.com/. I’m currently using https://steamdeckrepo.com/post/ZYqjP/handheld_history_ultimate_edition_home_ui

To the best of my knowledge you can use any video under 10 seconds. There are also rumors that Steam is adding the ability to add videos in the Steam Points Shop.

I’ve Been Distracted

Last Monday I received my Steam Deck and it has taken up a lot of my time. After playing with it for a while here are my first impressions.

It’s Big.

The Steam Deck is huge. It’s not uncomfortable to hold or play on, but it is much larger than any other portable I used. Unlike my 3DS which mostly lives in my backpack, the Steam Deck fits but is too bulky to leave in unless I plan on using it. The casing is very smooth so I will be adding a skin soon.

Most of my games work.

I’m sure the fact that my main PC is Linux (Pop!_OS) is a factor but most of my games work on the Steam Deck with little or no modifications. Steam cloud saves seem to work flawlessly. Proton DB will be your friend.

You need a memory card.

You will probably need a few. I have the 256GB model and space gets used up fast. GTA IV takes up most of it. There are better cards out there but the SanDisk 1TB Ultra microSDXC UHS-I Memory Card seems to work good for the price.

Get a dock.

I don’t plan on playing the Steam Deck while docked. I can just use my PC, but a dock is helpful while using Desktop Mode. It’s possible to use Desktop Mode without a dock but that is not ideal. If you want to do anything in Desktop Mode you will want to attach a mouse and keyboard. I have used the Anker USB C Hub and the JSAUX Docking Station. They both work fine.

More to come.

In the near future I plan on the following:

  • Custom boot screen
  • Add emulators
  • Add skin