Best for
Handheld sessions at home or on the go, plus docked play when you want a living-room console feel.
Device notes
Notes
- Start with the built-in controls profile, then add external pads for docked sessions.
- Use integer scaling where possible to keep classic titles crisp on the 1280x800 panel.
Known issues
- Higher performance presets can drain the battery quickly.
- Fan noise depends on workload and system profiles.
Installation
- Download. Get the latest Steam Deck image from the downloads page or the wiki.
-
Flash. Write the image to an SD card or SSD using balenaEtcher, Raspberry Pi Imager, or
dd. - Boot. Insert the media, power on. REG Linux expands the filesystem on first boot. Pair your controllers when prompted.
- Rescue. If something goes wrong, reboot into rescue mode — your games are always safe on a separate partition.