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Any desktop-mode tips for a new Steam Deck owner? (discuss.tchncs.de)
submitted 5 months ago by to c/steamdeck@sopuli.xyz
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I recently bought a Steam Deck and I have a lapdock on the way, intending to use the Deck as a dual-purpose gaming handheld and laptop replacement. So on that front, I was wondering what more experienced users could tell me about using it.

I did read through the official FAQ, and a few questions pop up. In no particular order:

  1. Is there a way to boot the Steam Deck directly into desktop mode, without going through the Steam environment first? (Strictly as a time saver)
  2. In practice, how well does sudo steamos-readonly disable and installing things from pacman work out for you? In particular, I want to use PWAs For Firefox and it requires this package in order to work. Do packages actually get wiped with SteamOS updates, as the FAQ warns?
  3. Is it possible to re-enable the read-only filesystem after installing a package, to safeguard it from accidental changes?
  4. Any other tips, tricks or warnings you'd like to share.
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[–] [S] 4 points 5 months ago (1 child)

Thanks for the advice! I did already figure out the thing about the trackpads. I found the whole environment to be surprisingly usable in handheld mode, but definitely not ideal.

Thankfully that's not how I'm planning to use it. I ordered a lapdock (specifically this one, which is the only one I've found that ships to my godforsaken country) and it should arrive in a couple of weeks and be the main way I use Desktop Mode. Then I don't need Steam input.

If you’re using a customizer like DeckyLoader holding off on updates for a week or so until there’s confirmation of stability and compatibility is advisable, but that’s more for handheld mode.

Can you tell me more about DeckyLoader and why I might want to use it? Or just link to a page with that info. I never looked into it, and I'm wondering what's actually missing from vanilla SteamOS.

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  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago*

    Deckyloader is a plugin hub for all sorts of customization and QoL changes. I mainly use it for color customization, artwork changes, ProtonDB icons, and HowLongToBeat stats when I’m deciding on a new game.

    I also use it to download custom boot animations and sounds. It’s mostly geek tweaks but gives you a sense of extra power over your device on the game mode side.

    Here’s the primary website link: https://decky.xyz/

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