4w ago

Some questions before probably getting a Steam Deck

Hi everyone,

I'm a Playstation gamer and a Linux user for my administrative tasks.

Since my computers (Microsoft Surface Go 1 and upgraded MacBook Pro 2012, both running Fedora Workstation) aren't powerful enough to run some 7-8 years old games unavalaible on Playstation 5, I'll probably get a (maybe used) Steam Deck by the end of 2025. It could be another handheld, but the Steam Deck is my favorite for now as reparability and Linux compatibility are high on my list.

I'd be using the Deck to run some games, but also to work when docked to my Philips 273B through USB-C, also using a USB mouse and keyboard. I'd be keeping the Playstation 5 to run demanding games and do sim racing as I don't even think a Steam Deck 2 would be powerful enough.

Here are a few questions: -I love Gnome, but I'd be willing to give KDE a shot. If I don't like it, how difficult would it be to have Gnome while keeping the normal Steam OS? -I know that I could wipe Steam OS and get Bazzite with Gnome. Except getting Gnome, what are the advantages of getting Bazzite over Steam OS? What are the inconvenients? -I think that KDE is now in version 6.3 or 6.4. What is the version that you now have on Steam OS? For an obscure reason, I coudn't find the info on the web. -What can you easily upgrade on a used Steam Deck (probably not Oled)?

Thanks in advance for your answers!

24 comments

It’s pretty much impossible to get gnome on regular steamOS. Bazzite also has some additional stuff compared to steamOS, namely printing support, optional full disk encryption, newer plasma version (SteamOS should be on 5.27 or what ever the latest version of plasma 5 is). Nothing major, but small stuff. Bazzite has the disadvantage of not being installed by default and less of a backing (Valve still is a big company). Most things on steam deck are easily replaceable, except for the battery, but not necessarily upgradable. If you want to upgrade storage be aware that the steam deck uses a relatively rare nvme size, so prizes might be higher than expected (other than that it’s quite simple). The screen also can be upgraded but that requires a sizable amount of work, same with ram.

If you want to give KDE a shot, you don't need to buy a Deck. Just grab a live installer image from a Linux distro you like, tons of them let you boot and try it out from RAM without actually installing to your hard disk.
I'm pretty UI agnostic (many years with Windows, Mac, ChromeOS, Unity, a few with xfce, and a bit with Cinnamon). I almost picked Gnome on a recent update to my primary home machine for its clean Mac-ish feel, but SteamOS convinced me that modern KDE is actually rather nice.
- Oh I know this and I tried it a little bit in a VM and on an old computer I’m setting up for my son, but for me you’re never really experiencing a distro until you daily drive it😇

-I love Gnome, but I'd be willing to give KDE a shot. If I don't like it, how difficult would it be to have Gnome while keeping the normal Steam OS?
Afaik, not possible. SteamOS uses a mostly immutable A/B partition structure, so while you could likely install Gnome, the next time SteamOS updates, I expect it would wipe out your tweaks (or enough of them to break shit).
-I know that I could wipe Steam OS and get Bazzite with Gnome. Except getting Gnome, what are the advantages of getting Bazzite over Steam OS? What are the inconvenients?
Pros:
It won't wipe out your system tweaks at every update.
It will use the most updated versions of things available in Fedora's repos.
A bad update can be easily rolled back.
Cons:
It's not like traditional Linux distros, like Workstation, so learning how to work with an atomic distro can be a challenge at first.
It might not have every patch SteamOS has, or at least not right away. This tends to be minor in practice, but Valve has a vested interest in making the Deck awesome, not Linux as a whole. The community is pretty good at keeping up with downstream patches, though, if any.
Noteworthy:
It uses Wayland by default. That matters to some.
Some software cannot be easily installed (like some VPN clients) or installed at all. The more a program has to touch system files, the less likely it is that you can install or use it.
Updates take a long time due to how the snapshot imaging works.
-I think that KDE is now in version 6.3 or 6.4. What is the version that you now have on Steam OS?
5.27.10. SteamOS uses X11.
-What can you easily upgrade on a used Steam Deck (probably not Oled)?
For the LCD version, lots. From the screen to the shell to the buttons. I vaguely remember there being a fan mod, too. There's a whole ecosystem of Deck mods out there. You can even remove the screen and controllers entirely, if you're so inclined.
- Thanks for the detailed answer!
  It’s weird that Steam OS is still on KDE 5.2X and not using Wayland. I guess it’ll come.
  I think I’ll really try to use KDE at the beginning until switching to Bazzite if I miss Gnome too much.
  
  Just FYI while it uses X11 in desktop mode, in game mode it uses Wayland. It’s probably still on 5.X because for the main use case of the deck plasma 6 isn’t really that much of an upgrade and they probably prefer having a stable system than having some new stuff most users won’t actually use
  
  I should also mention that you might want to look into a Deck Saver. It's a little bit of plastic you can 3D print that fits into the original Deck case, and it will hold your device in place in the event you pick up the case with the lid open.
  If you don't want to bother, I have a rule I follow: if the Deck is in the case, the zippers go shut. First thing. No exceptions.

Others have already answered most of this, but I'll add my piece:
Gnome on SteamOS
It's possible, but every steamOS update will wipe it. There are scripts out there to automate reinstalling gnome after every system update. Still, Bazzite would be the easier long term option. I personally prefer Gnome as well, but I've actually been fine with KDE on my deck. I'm not frequently docking my deck and using it as a PC though.
Easy deck upgrades
You can very easily replace the SSD, backplate, thumbsticks, fans (some of the LCD models have a whiny fan) and rear buttons. Replacing the front buttons takes more disassembly but isn't too bad afaik. Replacing the front plate or the screen requires separating the screen from the frontplate with heat, which is where a lot of people become uncomfortable.
Many replacements and alternative parts exist. You can get transparent or multicolor shells, shells that claim to offer better cooling (which I'm skeptical of tbh), hall effect joysticks, extra clicky button assemblies, alternative back button designs, buttons with different materials and textures, and higher resolution or OLED screen upgrades for the LCD models.
Other stuff
If you primarily play on PS5, be sure to check out Chiaki4Deck as it will let you stream your PS5 to your deck. If you get the OLED model it will even support the PS5's HDR, which is a benefit you don't get with the official PS Portal device.
- a benefit you don't get with the official PS Portal device.
  Man, what a half-baked product that Portal thing turned out to be eh?

I have no answers for you but just want to mention I got the steam dock and it has been buggy with power power and external displays. If your going to work with an external screen I would get a third party dock or adapter.
- Do you mean it’s not getting charged just by using the usb-c linked to the monitor?
  I’ll probably first try without a dock and then maybe get one, but these power issues aren’t something I expected.
  
  The first party Steam Dock tries to do too much, and is unreliable. It frequently doesn't correctly activate the monitor and deactivate the local screen. Other plain old USB C docks work fine.
  Also, the official Steam Dock is also not compatible with most Steam Deck cases, both at the base and at the USB C port.
  It's weirdly bad for twice the price as any other option.
  
  I mean it could be just mine but its finicky. I have come back to a decharged deck or it not charging. The cables are in good but playing with them gets it to charge. Its one of those things thats so intermittent by the time we figured it out it was to late to get it replaced. For awhile I was making it a point to make sure it was charging when I docked it but it got to annoying and now I mostly just charge directly. I have not see many other complaints about the charging so it might be me but it not working with hdmi you can see a lot of things on the web with people having the problem. Its been fixed a few times but nothing really fixed it for me and its wonky like the charging is.

I'll probably get a (maybe used) Steam Deck by the end of 2025
If you're looking at used devices, it may be best to keep your options open. Most other devices can have Bazzite installed and work more or less just like SteamOS.
Except getting Gnome, what are the advantages of getting Bazzite over Steam OS?
I have Bazzite on every device I own, except for Steam Deck. It's just easier to get troubleshooting help, not that I've ever needed it. There's also not really any benefit that I can tell, other than if you want to use it as actually a desktop computer, as SteamOS is missing some pretty basic utilities, as it's not really designed for that purpose.

If you are at all familiar with / interested in NixOS, there's Jovian-NixOS which essentially duplicates the SteamOS experience 1:1 (much more closely than, say, Bazzite imo), but allows you to easily switch to a different desktop environment like Gnome with just a single config option.

There's no harm in trying any distros. A full recovery of the Deck takes about 30 minutes including the creation of the Boot Medium. I did it just yesterday.

I love gnome too and after messing up with KDE I learned not to go hard on customizing it. I run KDE on my school laptop that sees 50% of the workload and it's very nice after I set up all the shortcuts and screen edges to work the same as they do on gnome (took me like 5 mins in the middle of a downtime during a lecture) I'd say don't overthink it, just like get SD and enjoy. Id you don't like kde you can always get another distro on it.
- It’s probably what I’ll end up doing, but I just wanted to know what my options were.
  
  With non locked down hardware, your options are always limited by hubris.

Quick note, in some countries you can get refurbished steam decks:
https://store.steampowered.com/sale/steamdeckrefurbished/
- In Switzerland, I can’t even get a new one from Valve, so no refurbished one sadly.
  But luckily there are other stores.

As others have mentioned Gnome is gonna be a no go. However, KDE is lovely. You can absolutely go poke around and find a premade settings config that will mimic gnome
- Yeah I’ll probably just get used to it and it’ll also widen my Linux knowledge.

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