What is Steam Deck desktop mode?
Desktop Mode is the reason why Steam Deck is both a "game console" and a "PC". The following is a summary of what Desktop Mode is and how to use it.
Posted at: 2022.12.26
Steam Deck has two modes: "game mode" and "desktop mode
The standard function of Steam Deck, a gaming terminal, is to display a UI optimized for playing Steam games (Steam UI), but in addition to this, it also has a UI that assumes mouse operation just like a normal PC. This is the "desktop mode.
The Steam OS 3.0 installed in Steam Deck is based on Arch Linux, and the desktop environment that Steam OS is equipped with (Linux has multiple desktop UI options for the same OS) is KDE Plasma, an Arch Linux version.
In other words, "desktop mode" in Steam Deck means KDE Plasma.
In desktop mode, it is a normal PC
Steam Deck's desktop mode is, so to speak, "PC mode," which transforms it into a machine that can be used for normal work and tasks, except that it is not Windows.
Flatpak, a Linux package manager, can be used to add applications, and browsers, office suites, and image and video editing software can also be added.
However, at 7 inches, which is extremely small for a PC screen, and without a keyboard, Steam Deck will not allow you to work comfortably just because you switch to desktop mode.
If you want to use it as desktop mode, it is best to use it with a USB hub or a genuine docking station, an LCD display, a keyboard, and a mouse.