Modder shares “ridiculous” Steam Deck hack & fans want Valve to sell it

A r/Steam Deck Subreddit user has discovered that the Valve handheld is still fully functional with a docking station while relying on the motherboard alone.

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that if a high-powered piece of tech exists, there’s doing to be a modding community behind it. This is most definitely the case for the Steam Deck, which since its launch has cemented itself as a formidable piece of hardware.

While the Deck, and the upgraded OLED model, are high-powered pieces of tech in their own right, some just prefer to see just how far the handhelds can be pushed through modding. In a lot of cases, these mods involve upgrading the SSD, or simply swapping out the shell for something on the fancier side. While others, simply like to take the device apart just for the fun of it, like this r/Steam Deck user.

While playing around with the Steam Deck’s parts, one user discovered that, purely with the motherboard and a cooler in tow, the Deck can still be booted up with a dock. The modder even stated: “I added a CPU cooler just to make it that much more ridiculous.“

It even works without a battery

r/Steam Deck user Ayeitsyaboii posted images revealing what appears to be the motherboard of an LCD Steam Deck, with the shell and other internals nowhere to be seen. In an amusing feat of ingenuity, the motherboard, attached purely to a CPU cooler and plugged directly into a Steam Deck dock, remains “fully functional”, even without a battery.

Typically, attempting a similar mod with devices such as a gaming laptop, would result in the hardware not booting, as they require the detection of a battery to function. Despite the fact the Steam Deck is also a portable desktop PC, the handheld was still able to function, just as it would had it been docked with all its parts intact.

There were no tricks or sorcery involved to get the handheld running in this way, according to Ayeitsyaboii, who said: “It’s just the motherboard I pulled out of an extra steam deck plugged into the dock, nothing extra except a mouse, keyboard, and hdmi. Booted up first try.”

With the knowledge the Steam Deck can be booted in this way, many in the comments were quick to long for Valve to sell a version of the handheld with just the motherboard, so they could put together a Steam Deck of their very own. User hendricha said: “Hey Valve! Sell us this in a cute box!” While others, like PhattyR6, suggested that: “You could get a small enclosure and make a Steam Console V2.”

Considering that it boots without a battery, could Valve be preparing for the return of mini Steam machines? Only time will tell.