The Steam Deck has been a smash hit on the PC gaming scene, at least as much for its low price and portability as for its efficient Linux-based SteamOS. We’ve seen a few tries at making an equivalent mini PC or gaming set-top box with the software, but what if you cut out the middleman and just shave every possible hardware element off the Steam Deck itself? Say hello to the “Steam Brick.”
A modder known as crastinator–pro did just that, outlining their process on the Steam Brick GitHub page (spotted by Hackaday). They removed pretty much everything from the Steam Deck except the primary motherboard, cooling system, and battery, then shoved it into a custom-made 3D-printed case. The result is a tiny headless PC that measures 7.6 inches by 4.9 inches and weighs just over a pound.
It can be played on the go with a wireless controller and portable screen (or with a set of AR glasses, like the Xreal Air 2 Pro shown in the photos). Alternatively, you can plug it into a dock or an external monitor via USB-C and operate it like a regular Steam Deck in docked mode.
The modder fully admits that the build isn’t exactly overflowing with utility. “I was so preoccupied with whether or not I could that I didn’t stop to think if I should,” they say, quoting a certain leather-bedecked chaotician. That said, I’ve been wondering for over a year if there’s a market for cheap, low-power alternatives to a Steam Deck that can be tossed behind a TV and operated like a game console.
The Steam Brick isn’t that machine, specifically. There’s still a battery inside, and of course it’s a one-off design. (Though if you want to make your own, there’s more than enough info available to replicate it.) But I wonder if companies like Lenovo, Asus, and Acer aren’t taking a look at these kinds of projects, at Valve licensing out SteamOS for fully third-party hardware, and doing a bit of math for future product development.