Household SteamDeck Alternative: GEEKDeck Transforms Your Living Space into a Gaming Haven
Hey there, champ! You know what's kinda crazy? Running your Steam games on a portable device like the Steam Deck is super dope. But what if we could turn it into a big, bulky brick that sits under your TV instead? Well, one genius decided to do just that – check out the GeekDeck, a sweet little Steam OS console thingy, all thanks to this rad video down here.
Here's the jist of it: he took a GEEKOM A5, a mini-computer that shares many of the Steam Deck's specs, and tossed SteamOS onto it. We were expecting some serious tinkering and trouble-shooting, but nah, everything just kinda worked! It booted up in a jiffy and installed like any other Linux distribution. Shocking, right? That's because Steam has actually released SteamOS for PCs.
Now, you might not have heard about SteamOS before. It's an unchangeable version of Arch Linux designed with gaming and Steam in mind. Arch Linux, as you probably guessed, works on basically any modern PC, but the immutable part gets interesting. Immutable distributions lock down most of the system, similar to Mac OS, and SteamOS comes without the package manager to get around this, like rpm-ostree in Fedora's Silverblue ecosystem. But don't worry – if your hardware isn't a perfect match for the Steam Deck, Bazzite could be your best bet. It's based on Silverblue and was made with SteamOS for PC in mind, before Steam made their OS downloadable for PCs.
So, is this something you should do? Based on the performance we saw in the video, maybe not if you're looking to run triple-A games locally. This little box ain't quite as powerful as the Steam Deck. But hey, it was neat to see SteamOS outside of the 'deck and in the wild.
Now, usually we see folks taking the guts of the Steam Deck and putting other operating systems to work. Like that rad Bento Box AR machine we couldn't get enough of. It turns out that the Steam Deck can work pretty well as a Single Board Computer (SBC) too, as long as you can snag a broken one. If not, no worries – a Chinese MiniPC will do the same job just fine.
Installing SteamOS on a GEEKOM A5 or similar mini-computer involves creating a bootable USB drive, connecting it to your monitor and keyboard, and running the Linux installer like you would any other time. The GEEKOM A5's hardware makes it a great fit for this, and once it's all set up, you'll have a Steam Deck-like experience on your living room PC. Just keep in mind that some minor quirks might pop up with similar AMD-based mini PCs, like audio output issues or flaky WiFi. Check out resources like Interfacing Linux’s guide and videos to get help setting things up and troubleshooting any potential issues. Happy gaming, pal!
[1] - https://youtu.be/DZ_LZ5ufgCM[2] - https://interfacinglinux.com/[3] - https://interfacinglinux.com/community/[5] - SteamOS for PC: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=5468-QENP-6667[5] - Bazzite OS: https://github.com/Pespestech/bazzite-os-live-project-repository
- With the help of Linus-based operating systems like SteamOS and Bazzite OS, this transformation of hardware gadgets into gaming consoles compatible with modern technology, such as the GeekDeck console, indicates a growing trend in the intersection of artificial intelligence and everyday computing devices.
- As the technology continues to evolve, one can foresee a future where running triple-A games on neat little Steam OS consoles powered by hardware like the GeekDeck or the minor-computer Bazzite, becomes as common as owning an AI-enabled gadget.
