Steam Deck

From ArchWiki
Warning: SteamOS is an Arch based distribution, it has several packages that differ from the official repositories. It is not supported by the Arch Linux support staff.
Hardware PCI/USB ID Working?
microSD card reader 1217:8621 Yes
WiFi 10ec:c822 Yes
GPU 1002:163f Yes
Audio 1002:1640 Yes
Bluetooth 13d3:3553 Yes
Gyroscope Yes
Touchpads Yes
Touchscreen Yes
Steam Deck controls 28de:1205 Yes

The Steam Deck is a custom PC hardware from Valve that is focused on gaming. It can, however, also be used as a regular PC, and comes with a customized Plasma session. Also, it is completely unlocked, so one could install any OS they wish on it, including Arch Linux.

Installation

A USB flash installation medium can be used through the microSD card slot or the USB-C port.

While booting up the deck, hold down Volume Down and press the Power buttons. Choose your Arch Linux installation medium.

Firmware

As of October 2022, fwupd does not support any devices in the Steam Deck. Updates for the firmware are provided through SteamOS.

To access the UEFI settings, hold down Volume Up and press the Power button.

Audio

The Deck's speaker system and headphone jack do not work as of October 2022. External audio devices can be used through USB, Bluetooth or WiFi. HDMI Audio is also working with a vanilla kernel.

To get audio working, install the linux-steamosAUR kernel.

Fan Controls

The Steam Deck's fan control can be enhanced by a daemon provided in Valve's jupiter repository, but are fully functional without it.

If you are using a mainline kernel, you need patches from Valve's kernel to expose the corresponding ACPI functionality.

See also