If the Nintendo Switch perfected the portable hybrid console concept, many would say Valve’s Steam Deck has done the same for laptop gaming.
Both LCD and OLED versions feature 7-inch 60Hz displays, quad-core Zen 2 processors, 8-core RDNA 2 graphics, 16GB of LPDDR5 memory, and SSD capacities ranging from 256GB to 1TB.
This SteamOS-based portable version allows users to play most games from Valve’s popular digital store Steam, which has been around since 2004. Our Steam Deck review praised the Steam Deck’s versatility and performance, but found SteamOS somewhat limited.
what do you need
- steam surface
- Micro SD card (optional)
- Windows 11 or 10 license (optional)
Installation via Windows: Step-by-step guide
There is an alternative solution to booting Windows on your Steam device. This will allow you to directly access the Epic Games Store. Here’s what you need to do:
1. Boot into Windows and create an ISO file.
To install Windows, you must first create installation media with a microSD card.
Go to Microsoft Windows software download site Choose your version of Windows media creation toolsFollow the tool’s instructions to create the media file, You will need an empty microSD drive with at least 8GB of free space and a product key, You will also need a media creation tool to create ISO files,
2. Create a Windows boot disk for the microSD card.
Once you have obtained the Windows ISO file using the Media Creation Tool, insert the microSD card into your computer, which will serve as the boot drive for the installation (an adapter may be required).
This can be done as follows: Free software like RufusIt is explained here.
Insert the microSD card into a connected card reader or USB adapter and open Rufus. From the Device tab, select your microSD card. Under Select boot, select a disk or ISO image and click Select to browse and open the Windows ISO file.
Under Picture options, select Windows to Go. Alternatively, you can enter a name for your microSD card in the Sound Tag field.
Click “Get Started” to get started. A dialog box will appear asking you to select the version of Windows you want to install.
In the next window, enable the recommended settings such as “Block access to internal drives”, “Skip Microsoft account requirements”, “Set regional settings” and “Turn off data collection for privacy reasons”. After reviewing these options, click OK to continue. Rufus will begin creating a boot disk.
You can then use the microSD card as the boot method to install Steam Deck.
3. Install Windows on Steam Deck.
There are three ways to install Windows on your Steam device: boot from a microSD card, boot from SteamOS, or dual boot.
Using a microSD card may be the best and easiest way to access the Epic Games Store, but it’s up to you.
Users must first log out of Steam Deck and insert a microSD card into the microSD slot.
Next, press and hold the Volume Down and Power buttons, then release them when you hear the startup sound.
Users need to make sure they are in the boot menu. Select the microSD card and press the A button to begin the installation.
After installing Windows, users should avoid establishing a Wi-Fi connection by following the prompts and selecting “I don’t have Internet.” After starting Windows, we recommend changing the orientation to landscape and adjusting the display settings.
4. Install Driver
When users try to establish a Wi-Fi connection, they immediately encounter several problems. This is because users need to install the latest drivers for wireless internet, audio and Bluetooth.
There Update your Steam Deck driver. Users should install the LCD and OLED versions immediately.
5. Install the Epic Games Store Launcher.
Now that Windows is set up, use your browser to download the Epic Games Store. Once downloaded, install it as a regular Windows desktop. Once installed, simply register and create an account or log in.
Installation using Proton: step by step
Proton is an installable translation layer available through Steam that allows SteamOS to open Windows software, including the Epic Games Store. This is a less intrusive way to run the player on your device without requiring a fresh installation of Windows.
1. Install Proton Launcher and Epic Games Store.
On SteamOS, switch to desktop mode and open Discover.
Search for “protonup-qt” and install the application.
Open ProtonUp-Qt from the application launcher via the utility.
To install the latest version, click (Add Version) and select GE-Proton.
Restart Steam using the desktop icon. Download the Epic Games Launcher through your browser, but don’t open it yet.
First click “Add Game”, then click “Add Non-Steam Game”, then go to /home/deck/Downloads/ and change the file type to All Files.
Then select EpicInstaller.msi and click “Add selected programs”.
2. Forced compatibility with Proton and target site updates.
Find the EpicInstaller entry and right-click (left launcher) > Properties > Compatibility.
Select “Force the use of selected Steam Play compatibility tools” and select the latest version of Proton from the drop-down list.
Go back to your Steam library and launch EpicInstaller to install it.
Open your file manager and make sure to click “Show hidden files” in the menu.
Go to .local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ (in numerical order) (latest changes folder) and go to pfx/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/Epic Games/Launcher/Portal/Binaries/Win32/.
Find EpicGamesLauncher.exe, right-click and copy its location.
Right-click the EpicInstaller entry in Steam and rename it (for example, Epic Games Launcher).
To update the destination of the renamed file, paste the copied location. Keep the quotes intact and paste spaces. But also leave the quotes and remove EpicGamesLauncher.exe.
3. Return to Game Mode and launch the Epic Games Store.
Return to Game Mode and launch the Epic Games Launcher from the (Non-Steam Games) tab in your Library.
