I almost exclusively use desktop mode. One of the main reasons I got a steam deck was to have a Linux PC connected to my TV at all times. I watch a lot of sports via pirated streams, and those only really work well in a web browser. A raspberry pi 4 was not quick enough to keep up with it, but the steam deck is more than capable.
Setting up emudeck
Currently, just when I have to use it to install anything that I can’t install via game mode, and when I need to tweak the system or game files, copy roms from my NAS, etc.
Not frequently, I tried to use it to launch gog games via lutris but they were not performing as well as within the steam app.
I put the Nix package manager on my Deck and use it for software development. You definitely want a BlueTooth keyboard to use it this way.
There was a period of time where I was too lazy to re-hook up my main PC to everything. I just hooked up my Steam Deck instead via a USB C hub.
It was then that I realized I don’t really use my main gaming PC anymore. I just play on the Steam Deck and almost everything else is just general use most of the time.
Since then, I found I still prefer to do some tinkering on a way the Steam Deck isn’t very good at, so I been thinking of selling off my PC and buying a capable laptop to have that extra ease as I found I don’t need the extra performance anymore.
Mostly installing games from outside the steam shop.
I mostly use desktop mode for messing about with things like emudeck and creating and forgetting an su password.
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When my wife uses steam link to play my pc on the tv I connect my dock to my keyboard, mouse and monitor and go about my business uninterrupted.
Mostly I play games or browse the web / watch videos - But I do all of this with a dock and mouse and keyboard.
Tinkering with settings, web browsing, coding, file management, terminal, DistroBox, YouTube watching, using multiple monitors, installing flatpaks, installing emudeck, installing cryoutilities, compiling code, Qt creator, etc.
There are some movies/websites that don’t work well with Chromecast. Being able to play them on my steam deck while docked is often the easiest way to play them.
@Moxvallix copying files, basically 😂😂😂 I’m still yet to buy a dock - afterwards it will be more useful.
For viewing and commenting on this post, reading books and PDFs, doing Coursera courses, playing Minecraft Java edition…
