Key Combinations

While turned off

  • Volume+ & Power: Boot in to UEFI
  • Volume- & Power: Boot Menu
    • This allows you to boot from an external (e.g. USB) medium, or from a different partition in multi-partition setups.

Note that, contrary to some suggestions you might have seen, there is currently no way to reset the UEFI/BIOS settings with a key combination. Be sure to back it up before tinkering!

In Game Mode

Pro-Tip: Hold either the Steam or Quick Access (...) button to see all the available shortcuts.

  • Steam/... & up on left analogue stick: Screen brightness up
  • Steam/... & down on left analogue stick: Screen brightness down
    • I prefer using ... as it means I can use both hands instead of having to Monster Hunter claw with just the left hand.
    • If you use this shortcut in a non-Steam game, Steam Input will revert to a different controller layout. Press either Steam/... twice to open and close a menu and fix Steam Input to the correct profile again.

Synchronising files between Steam Deck and other machines

TODO

Emulating games on Steam Deck

Since Steam Deck is a Linux machine at heart, it's possible to install a lot of off-the-shelf software, including emulators.

Broadly speaking, you can either install and configure each emulator manually, or use one of several tools that can automatically install and configure emulators for you.

Emulator Installers

There are multiple options out there; I have experience with EmuDeck:

This guide does not aim to provide a detailed review of the different installers available -- other sources can provide that information. This guide instead will highlight a few of the things that I care about:

  • Ease of use
  • Configuration management (can you take control?)
  • How easy it is to restore settings if you reset your Deck or get a new one
  • Updates & maintenance

EmuDeck Advantages vs. Manual Installation

  • It's very straightforward to install and configure a multitude of emulators. Some configuration can be customised during the installation process.
  • It's easy to update the emulators too -- either via the Discovery app, when running the emulator, or re-running EmuDeck, depending on how the emulator is packaged.
  • Makes it easy to list games or emulators in the Steam interface using Steam ROM Manager.
  • Adds extra features like cloud saves, synchronisation, etc.
  • It's reasonably easy to restore settings on a new/reset Deck, albeit some emulators will need additional steps.
  • If you find an issue or want to extend something, the EmuDeck community are active working with you to finding and applying solutions example.

EmuDeck Disadvantages vs. Manual Installation

  • EmuDeck works best when it manages everything. Its configuration is opinionated. If you want to make changes to the configuration, you might face an uphill battle in makiing changes to it -- and it might get reset whenever an update occurs.

Mixing and matching automatic and manual installation

To begin with, start with one of the above installers and see how they feel -- you'll likely be happy. However, if you feel like you need more control, it's possible to mix and match an emulator installer with manual configuration.

Back up your Steam Deck's BIOS/UEFI/SPI

The UEFI (also known as BIOS) in a computer allows the machine to boot and controls a large number of fundamental hardware settings, like how fast the CPU should run or how much voltage should be applied.

Most computers, alongside the UEFI chip, have a separate configuration chip that stores the current UEFI configuration. That separate configuration chip can be erased, usually by removing the BIOS battery or by pressing a button on the motherboard. After that, the default UEFI configuration is restored.

This is important when you start tinkering with things that may cause the hardware to stop booting, such as overclocking or undervolting. On most machines, should you stop it from booting (a.k.a. "brick") the machine, you can simply remove the battery or press the configuration reset button and you'll usually be back in a safe place. Unfortunately, Steam Deck is not most machines.

Steam Deck uses an all-in-one SPI chip for the UEFI, configuration, hardware IDs and more. While you can't do this normally, if you were to somehow erase the whole chip, the Steam Deck would no longer boot as it would be missing its UEFI!

The upshop is that there's no fool-proof way to reset a Steam Deck back to its default settings if it can't boot. So if you can no longer boot the Steam Deck, it might be bricked. The only way out (aside from a possible warranty replacement) is to reflash the SPI chip as a whole, which requires an SPI backup. So having an SPI backup is very important!

Backing up the SPI

Note: The SPI contains unique hardware IDs for your Steam Deck. Don't upload the backup to anywhere others can access it unless you trust everyone that could possibly download it.

If you ever brick the Deck and need this file, you will need to use another machine (e.g. a desktop or laptop) to reprogram the SPI chip on the Steam Deck. So keep in mind the end goal: this backup needs to be kept somewhere separate from the Steam Deck.

  1. First, ensure the Steam Deck is in stable condition. For example, boot in to the UEFI and reset to defaults.

  2. Once the Steam Deck is in stable condition, boot in to Desktop Mode and run the following in a terminal (such as Konsole):

    sudo /usr/share/jupiter_bios_updater/h2offt /home/deck/biosbkp.fd -O

  3. Back up this file somewhere secure where you could use it on a recovery machine in future. Do not keep it only on the Steam Deck!

Restoring the backup

See the following guide on Reddit.

Boot into UEFI/BIOS

With the Steam Deck powered off (not just asleep), hold the Plus (+) button then press the power button. You can let go of the Plus (+) button after a couple of seconds.