Tips and tricks for setting up your new Steam deck

One of the newest consoles on the gaming scene, STEAM Deck offers the advantage of being able to choose from a huge library of games.

It’s essentially a handheld PC with all the hardware needed to play high-end PC games on the go.

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If you or a loved one are getting a Steam deck for the holidays, these tricks will help you get the most out of it.

Here are our top tips for setting up your brand new Steam deck.

Expand the storage of your Steam Deck with SD cards

Steam Decks come in three memory sizes, but if you’re downloading large triple-A games, even the largest will fill up quickly.

Replacing the SSD can be tricky and is something we definitely don’t recommend for someone unfamiliar with the hardware.

Luckily there’s a slot for extra storage, but you’ll need a good quality SD card if you’re hoping to run games.

We don’t recommend skimping here if expanding storage with an SD card is the option you go for.

Use your Steam Deck as a portable PC

If you hold down the Steam button and navigate to the power options, you can start your Steam deck in desktop mode.

Although you may not be used to Linux PCs, you can do everything you would on a Windows PC or Macbook, including surfing the web and more.

If you look at the Discover tab, you’ll find a huge selection of apps and programs that you can use in desktop mode.

Press the Steam button for easy shortcuts

Unfortunately, the Steam Deck isn’t the best to point out its best features, but the Steam button can be used for a number of handy functions.

Steam + the X key opens the on-screen keyboard and Steam + R1 takes a screenshot.

This is great if you want to share your gaming adventures with friends online, which is possible via desktop mode.

Install Epic Game Store and GOG games

If you have games on other online platforms, you can also play them on your Steam deck.

Simply download Discover’s Heroic Games Launcher so you can download your GOG and Epic Games Store library onto your deck.

Epic Games is giving away free games all the time, so this can be a great way to expand your library.

Written by Dave Aubrey and Georgina Young on behalf of GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN.

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