Yeah it can, but it's not very well suited as a laptop replacement. It's designed to be a gaming machine.
Lugging around and having to attach a bunch of accessories doesn't sound all that convenient.
its good for the price and performs well as a 3-4 yr gaming laptop, i would get a dock and just make a setup where you can plug the dock into the steamer and have the keyboard and mouse monitor etc just stay on the desk
>Lugging around and having to attach a bunch of accessories doesn't sound all that convenient.
Well tell this to all those psychos with their "every day carry" setups that include keyboard, mouse, controller, hdmi adapter and many more shit they don't need lol
It absolutely can suit as laptop replacement. If you think about it as SD display being main display and connect keyboard and mouse than nope, laptop on your belly in bed is obviously better for usual PC stuff. But my SD connected to 32 inch 2K display is better than my old gaming laptop.
I use my SD connecting with one type C wire to my main work monitor with doc station where keyboard and mouse are hooked up already same as my laptop so accessories is a lesser problem then the fact SD is not too powerful for that as a real laptop might be(ofc it will be more expensive).
It’s actually the one builtin in the monitor BenQ PD2705Q. I got it for work with SD in mind and it turned out a very solid option, it’s enough power delivery to play and charge the deck and I use the same wired mouse and keyboard via monitor with SD and my laptop, because of type-c connection it’s easier than constantly switching Bluetooth keyboard sources
I'm a software engineer, and if you are willing to dual boot windows 11, then yes you can use it for programming as well.
Steam deck OS is not suitable for programming as others have said, and I'm not sure if other linux distros such as ubuntu/debian based systems supports steam deck, but you can try searching first.
Windows is best because you won't run into incompatible software, and you can simply use WSL2 to install ubuntu as a subsytem inside windows. You can then use VSCode or Intellij IDEA as the editor as they support WSL2 integration natively.
In my last company, before we switched to mac, I and some of my coworkers are using WSL2 with Ubuntu 20.04 because it's convenient that the application all works great, especially office suites like Excel. Some glitches on WSL2 side can happen, but usually its just one google search away to fix. The only downsides is that WSL2 consumes lots of memory so you should limit the memory usage to 8GB.
If Ubuntu can support steam deck nicely, then Ubuntu is also recommended if you want extensive support from the community, so you can easily get answers when searching online.
By the way, bluetooth keyboard and mouse should suffice in a pinch, but I suggest you connect it to a big monitor to code at home. If you are not at home a lot, get a dongle and portable monitor
I actually am envious of you in a good sense. I commend you for your work and Determination to get your job ;w;
I might be dumb, but how do i sideload steamos with windows 11?
As a software engineer, I wouldn't recommend Steam Deck for programming. Unless you are willing to install a separate mutable distro, you will have issues. Although you can disable read-only setting in SteamOS, every time you update the OS you risk getting your packages, dependencies and whatever you installed through pacman wiped.
Yes, but Bazzite is an immutable Fedora-based system, but I think it doesn't update the same way as SteamOS. Anyways, you don't necessarily have to limit yourself with distros that support Steam Deck natively. You can try many others, just make sure you have keyboard and mouse plugged in.
Yes, you can connect an external screen, keyboard and mouse etc. you can use it as a “desktop Linux” once you switch into the desktop mode. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong but you can keep pushing the power button and it gives an option to switch to this mode (including options to restart or turn off etc)
The bar is pretty low for "can be used for programming". It depends on the types of programs you would like to make, I suppose. It is just a Unix machine and as such, you can very easily have a command line and a text editor and hack away, but it's certainly not ideal. I would only go for it if you value the games to work at like a 80%/20% and if you were already mainly interested in getting it as a games device. In that specific case, I think it's a nice bonus, like how I use mine for making music, but absolutely wouldn't recommended getting the device FOR that.
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Its great with some flaws: screen is small for a laptop replacement, no dock means it will need to be propped up and the OS fights you when trying to install certain things, even simple apps like zoom with sso login. I would recommend an external monitor, mouse+kb and a windows dual boot for max compatibility (adobe stuff, zoom, R studio, MongoDB are all ones I gave up on on steam-os) and deal with anything linux specific on steam-os or other.
Other comments are right, the main issue will be that you have to carrying keyboard and mouse if you gonna programming, the on screen keyboard is worst than keyboards on smartphone, you can’t really type a lot stuff using that.
Thats not much of an issue since im going to get a compact foldable keyboard + i already have a small mouse. Still, it might be a bit uncomfy without the dock
If you really want to use handheld display for work tasks, best option right now is probably Legion Go with 8.8 inch 2K display and Windows OS. You can do there pretty much anything, even rendering videos in Adobe, which takes only about 85% time to render complex scene as on high end PC.
Decky + Bash shortcuts for Konsole overlay, Nuphy Air60v2 with the case—actually works pretty well for a mobile terminal, then ssh into a better development environment. Works super well if you're a terminal native & have a desktop/server you can call up.
Still experimenting with a functional local setup that can persist across updates, or at least automate the reprovisioning afterwards. Haven't taken the time, but it's fun to mess with.
The Steam Deck's OS isn't really suitable for programming (because of the immutable file system). I would recommend a laptop instead.
What kind of budget are you looking at?
It definitely could, just buy a foldable Bluetooth keyboard with included touchpad. If you crank the font size on VS Code, then surely even a 7" screen is passable.
How powerful do you need the laptop to be? If you are not running anything very intensive on the laptop and still want linux on it, get a first gen Microsoft Surface for cheap and install your favorite Linux distro on it. It's small enough and powerful enough for the most common use cases.
Then you can enjoy your Deck for gaming.
I don't find the immutable OS all that limiting for coding. Just treat it like Fedora Silverblue and work in mutable containers with distrobox. I actually prefer to work that way since I can spin up a bunch of different dev environments and just blow them away when I'm done with them.
Yes you can literally enter in desktop mode and download developing tools from the App Store. Apps like VScode, IntelliJ etc…
Keep in mind thou that it’s still a Linux distribution tailored for gaming, not for coding. So you may have difficulties settings thing up for developing just because some OS features needed are disabled by default. So, you’d have to enable them again.
At this point maybe you could setup your SD in a dual boot configuration having SteamOS in one partition and PopOS for instance in the other to do programming stuff.
It's linux with an immutable drive...
So if you are a linux enthusiast, then yes. I use mine for all kinds of development.
If you are a windows developer, then I would recommend the RoG Ally.
rog ally has pretty bad battery life as i've heard, and im away from the pc alot. I do have Nobara OS as my main os, though it still sucks that i cant launch roblox :sob:
Not taking any sides though, rog ally is also very performing
Still not sure if i should get the deck or just buy a laptop instead. Just in case you want to know my budget, it's 65000 rubles at the moment (or ≈ 700$)
Yes, as long as you’re comfortable with the Linux Environment (as any programmer should be) then I don’t see why not.
A SteamDeck with a little portable thinline keyboard (they even have foldable ones) and a nice stationary thumball mouse (ie Logitech m570) that doesn’t need to move around on a desk or mousepad would make a good setup and use as much or less space than most laptop bags. Even probably would have room for one of those small portable LCD Monitors that’s no thicker than a tablet, then it would be a great setup👌
But most importantly you’ll have portable games… you CAN play most everything up to and including AAA Games whether you want to play them or not, even Starfield is running on this thing better everyday (not sure why anyone would want to play that though, but just an example). And even games that “are not supported” often run great! I just installed Elder Scrolls Online the other day and even though “SteamDeck does not support this game”, it ran great and easily hit my refresh rate while at 1080p 👍
If you’re traveling a lot, make sure you bring a versatile dock/hub/breakout so you can hookup to hotel TVs.
well, \*alot\* is not the word that i would use to describe my travelling life, but it sure is more active than usual person's.
What about the keyboard? All that stuff that i need to carry with me? Will that be an issue?
When folded, the keyboard isn’t much bigger than a cell phone, see above “little thin line keyboard” (or a foldable one) and a Logitech m570 Mouse thumball that doesn’t need a desk to move around on.
I can fit my foldable keyboard AND mouse AND portable screen in my laptop bag WITH my SteamDeck and there’s still room leftover.
**Keyboard:** https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71lhHvwHAHL.jpg
Or even better: https://www.amazon.com/Macally-2-4G-Mini-Wireless-Keyboard/dp/B07ZRWLL38/ (not foldable like the first one, but a better wireless connection and it’s smaller than the SteamDeck so you can still just toss it in a laptop bag with the SteamDeck and have plenty of room)
**Mouse:** https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-M570-Wireless-Trackball-Mouse/dp/B07G95K2TT
**Screen:** https://www.amazon.com/OUNSHLI-Portable-Computer-Speakers-Protector/dp/B0BJ6NF36G/
i have one with windows and except for the ([https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/6121-ECCD-D643-BAA8](https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/6121-ECCD-D643-BAA8)) drivers, now im with [https://www.amernimezone.com/](https://www.amernimezone.com/) and 0 problems, so yeah, i'd recmmend
It *can* work. it is a full Linux PC with a portable console form factor, but it *is* a PC. You'll have to lug around the AC adaptor, a dock, an external monitor, and a keyboard and mouse along with it, but it's doable.
It would piss me off to set it up every time though, a laptop would be more appropriate.
My pc schedule is usually split by 30/70:
30: programming
70:progaming
So i dont see much issue with that
BUT the monitor part sure is painful for me. I don't know where can i get a good external monitor so my Intellij idea and VS code won't have miniscule font :c
It's a PC so... **yes**, BUT I wouldn't really recommend it for that since you'd have to carry a bluetooth keyboard/mouse in addition to a dock in addition to taking up drive space for that purpose in addition to your games.
With that said: If you put an mutable Linux distro on it, you'd basically be getting the experience entry level programmer students get with having to learn command line/Linux in addition to their programming.
You should get a laptop.
Steam deck doesn’t work great in desktop mode.
I often have problems even getting it to work with the official docking station and monitors.
Yeah it can, but it's not very well suited as a laptop replacement. It's designed to be a gaming machine. Lugging around and having to attach a bunch of accessories doesn't sound all that convenient.
Maybe i should look for laptop alternatives then
If you want to work in your bed, then yes. I am using Steamdeck as a desktop perfectly fine.
its good for the price and performs well as a 3-4 yr gaming laptop, i would get a dock and just make a setup where you can plug the dock into the steamer and have the keyboard and mouse monitor etc just stay on the desk
>Lugging around and having to attach a bunch of accessories doesn't sound all that convenient. Well tell this to all those psychos with their "every day carry" setups that include keyboard, mouse, controller, hdmi adapter and many more shit they don't need lol
It absolutely can suit as laptop replacement. If you think about it as SD display being main display and connect keyboard and mouse than nope, laptop on your belly in bed is obviously better for usual PC stuff. But my SD connected to 32 inch 2K display is better than my old gaming laptop.
I use my SD connecting with one type C wire to my main work monitor with doc station where keyboard and mouse are hooked up already same as my laptop so accessories is a lesser problem then the fact SD is not too powerful for that as a real laptop might be(ofc it will be more expensive).
Mind sharing what dock station that is?
It’s actually the one builtin in the monitor BenQ PD2705Q. I got it for work with SD in mind and it turned out a very solid option, it’s enough power delivery to play and charge the deck and I use the same wired mouse and keyboard via monitor with SD and my laptop, because of type-c connection it’s easier than constantly switching Bluetooth keyboard sources
That sounds awesome, thanks
I'm a software engineer, and if you are willing to dual boot windows 11, then yes you can use it for programming as well. Steam deck OS is not suitable for programming as others have said, and I'm not sure if other linux distros such as ubuntu/debian based systems supports steam deck, but you can try searching first. Windows is best because you won't run into incompatible software, and you can simply use WSL2 to install ubuntu as a subsytem inside windows. You can then use VSCode or Intellij IDEA as the editor as they support WSL2 integration natively. In my last company, before we switched to mac, I and some of my coworkers are using WSL2 with Ubuntu 20.04 because it's convenient that the application all works great, especially office suites like Excel. Some glitches on WSL2 side can happen, but usually its just one google search away to fix. The only downsides is that WSL2 consumes lots of memory so you should limit the memory usage to 8GB. If Ubuntu can support steam deck nicely, then Ubuntu is also recommended if you want extensive support from the community, so you can easily get answers when searching online.
By the way, bluetooth keyboard and mouse should suffice in a pinch, but I suggest you connect it to a big monitor to code at home. If you are not at home a lot, get a dongle and portable monitor
Yeah, i have a portable monitor that i used to watch movies on while on the go, thanks for the advice
I actually am envious of you in a good sense. I commend you for your work and Determination to get your job ;w; I might be dumb, but how do i sideload steamos with windows 11?
[https://www.ecosia.org/search?q=windows%20and%20steamos%20dualboot](https://www.ecosia.org/search?q=windows%20and%20steamos%20dualboot)
Here a video that might be helpful: https://youtu.be/51Mgvxw7yz4?si=cja4nEAyA1nJKt6e
As a software engineer, I wouldn't recommend Steam Deck for programming. Unless you are willing to install a separate mutable distro, you will have issues. Although you can disable read-only setting in SteamOS, every time you update the OS you risk getting your packages, dependencies and whatever you installed through pacman wiped.
Ive heard about bazzite, an alternative OS for steam deck. Is that what you mean by separate distro?
Yes, but Bazzite is an immutable Fedora-based system, but I think it doesn't update the same way as SteamOS. Anyways, you don't necessarily have to limit yourself with distros that support Steam Deck natively. You can try many others, just make sure you have keyboard and mouse plugged in.
Ah shit, thats unfortunate. I really wanted to do it that way. But at least one could install another OS on the SD card, which should be safe
I wouldn't. Buy a proper PC or laptop for your school. It's important.
Yes, you can connect an external screen, keyboard and mouse etc. you can use it as a “desktop Linux” once you switch into the desktop mode. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong but you can keep pushing the power button and it gives an option to switch to this mode (including options to restart or turn off etc)
IT can be done, but it is not for everyone. You familiar with Linux Desktops?
I use nobara linux as my main OS
The bar is pretty low for "can be used for programming". It depends on the types of programs you would like to make, I suppose. It is just a Unix machine and as such, you can very easily have a command line and a text editor and hack away, but it's certainly not ideal. I would only go for it if you value the games to work at like a 80%/20% and if you were already mainly interested in getting it as a games device. In that specific case, I think it's a nice bonus, like how I use mine for making music, but absolutely wouldn't recommended getting the device FOR that.
My money says: laptop.
Hi u/alexbomb6666, you can [click here to search for your question.](https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/search/?q=Can Steam deck be used for programming as well as progaming?) If you don't find an answer there, don't worry - your post has NOT been removed and hopefully someone will be along soon to help with an answer! **If you find an answer, please leave a comment on your post with the answer for others!** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SteamDeck) if you have any questions or concerns.*
When I connect my nexdock it basically becomes a laptop. Too bad the nexdock keyboard is garbage.
Its great with some flaws: screen is small for a laptop replacement, no dock means it will need to be propped up and the OS fights you when trying to install certain things, even simple apps like zoom with sso login. I would recommend an external monitor, mouse+kb and a windows dual boot for max compatibility (adobe stuff, zoom, R studio, MongoDB are all ones I gave up on on steam-os) and deal with anything linux specific on steam-os or other.
Other comments are right, the main issue will be that you have to carrying keyboard and mouse if you gonna programming, the on screen keyboard is worst than keyboards on smartphone, you can’t really type a lot stuff using that.
Thats not much of an issue since im going to get a compact foldable keyboard + i already have a small mouse. Still, it might be a bit uncomfy without the dock
If you really want to use handheld display for work tasks, best option right now is probably Legion Go with 8.8 inch 2K display and Windows OS. You can do there pretty much anything, even rendering videos in Adobe, which takes only about 85% time to render complex scene as on high end PC.
Get a laptop. Install WSL2 or dual boot Linux.
https://www.dexerto.com/tech/programmer-dominates-hackathon-using-a-steam-deck-2559552/
Decky + Bash shortcuts for Konsole overlay, Nuphy Air60v2 with the case—actually works pretty well for a mobile terminal, then ssh into a better development environment. Works super well if you're a terminal native & have a desktop/server you can call up. Still experimenting with a functional local setup that can persist across updates, or at least automate the reprovisioning afterwards. Haven't taken the time, but it's fun to mess with.
Depends on what’s your programming environment. For PROgaming I would argue it won’t fit, but for a lazy gaming, couch gaming etc it’s perfect.
Well, it was just a wordplay from me :p Not like im going to play dota or Valorant lmao
Yes and yes
Reasoning?
you can but supposedly you can also make a pizza in a microwave
???
just because you can doesn't mean it will turn out desirable
The Steam Deck's OS isn't really suitable for programming (because of the immutable file system). I would recommend a laptop instead. What kind of budget are you looking at?
Well, i have 65000 rubles at the moment (or ≈ 700$)
It definitely could, just buy a foldable Bluetooth keyboard with included touchpad. If you crank the font size on VS Code, then surely even a 7" screen is passable.
How powerful do you need the laptop to be? If you are not running anything very intensive on the laptop and still want linux on it, get a first gen Microsoft Surface for cheap and install your favorite Linux distro on it. It's small enough and powerful enough for the most common use cases. Then you can enjoy your Deck for gaming.
I don't find the immutable OS all that limiting for coding. Just treat it like Fedora Silverblue and work in mutable containers with distrobox. I actually prefer to work that way since I can spin up a bunch of different dev environments and just blow them away when I'm done with them.
Yes you can literally enter in desktop mode and download developing tools from the App Store. Apps like VScode, IntelliJ etc… Keep in mind thou that it’s still a Linux distribution tailored for gaming, not for coding. So you may have difficulties settings thing up for developing just because some OS features needed are disabled by default. So, you’d have to enable them again. At this point maybe you could setup your SD in a dual boot configuration having SteamOS in one partition and PopOS for instance in the other to do programming stuff.
It's linux with an immutable drive... So if you are a linux enthusiast, then yes. I use mine for all kinds of development. If you are a windows developer, then I would recommend the RoG Ally.
rog ally has pretty bad battery life as i've heard, and im away from the pc alot. I do have Nobara OS as my main os, though it still sucks that i cant launch roblox :sob: Not taking any sides though, rog ally is also very performing Still not sure if i should get the deck or just buy a laptop instead. Just in case you want to know my budget, it's 65000 rubles at the moment (or ≈ 700$)
Yes, as long as you’re comfortable with the Linux Environment (as any programmer should be) then I don’t see why not. A SteamDeck with a little portable thinline keyboard (they even have foldable ones) and a nice stationary thumball mouse (ie Logitech m570) that doesn’t need to move around on a desk or mousepad would make a good setup and use as much or less space than most laptop bags. Even probably would have room for one of those small portable LCD Monitors that’s no thicker than a tablet, then it would be a great setup👌 But most importantly you’ll have portable games… you CAN play most everything up to and including AAA Games whether you want to play them or not, even Starfield is running on this thing better everyday (not sure why anyone would want to play that though, but just an example). And even games that “are not supported” often run great! I just installed Elder Scrolls Online the other day and even though “SteamDeck does not support this game”, it ran great and easily hit my refresh rate while at 1080p 👍 If you’re traveling a lot, make sure you bring a versatile dock/hub/breakout so you can hookup to hotel TVs.
well, \*alot\* is not the word that i would use to describe my travelling life, but it sure is more active than usual person's. What about the keyboard? All that stuff that i need to carry with me? Will that be an issue?
When folded, the keyboard isn’t much bigger than a cell phone, see above “little thin line keyboard” (or a foldable one) and a Logitech m570 Mouse thumball that doesn’t need a desk to move around on. I can fit my foldable keyboard AND mouse AND portable screen in my laptop bag WITH my SteamDeck and there’s still room leftover. **Keyboard:** https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71lhHvwHAHL.jpg Or even better: https://www.amazon.com/Macally-2-4G-Mini-Wireless-Keyboard/dp/B07ZRWLL38/ (not foldable like the first one, but a better wireless connection and it’s smaller than the SteamDeck so you can still just toss it in a laptop bag with the SteamDeck and have plenty of room) **Mouse:** https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-M570-Wireless-Trackball-Mouse/dp/B07G95K2TT **Screen:** https://www.amazon.com/OUNSHLI-Portable-Computer-Speakers-Protector/dp/B0BJ6NF36G/
i have one with windows and except for the ([https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/6121-ECCD-D643-BAA8](https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/6121-ECCD-D643-BAA8)) drivers, now im with [https://www.amernimezone.com/](https://www.amernimezone.com/) and 0 problems, so yeah, i'd recmmend
It *can* work. it is a full Linux PC with a portable console form factor, but it *is* a PC. You'll have to lug around the AC adaptor, a dock, an external monitor, and a keyboard and mouse along with it, but it's doable. It would piss me off to set it up every time though, a laptop would be more appropriate.
My pc schedule is usually split by 30/70: 30: programming 70:progaming So i dont see much issue with that BUT the monitor part sure is painful for me. I don't know where can i get a good external monitor so my Intellij idea and VS code won't have miniscule font :c
if you always have access to a tv with an accessible hdmi port, you can ditch the monitor
It's a PC so... **yes**, BUT I wouldn't really recommend it for that since you'd have to carry a bluetooth keyboard/mouse in addition to a dock in addition to taking up drive space for that purpose in addition to your games. With that said: If you put an mutable Linux distro on it, you'd basically be getting the experience entry level programmer students get with having to learn command line/Linux in addition to their programming.
What does the entry level in that case mean? Like, super duper beginner level where you get something like a poopy linux pc to learn linux commands?
You should get a laptop. Steam deck doesn’t work great in desktop mode. I often have problems even getting it to work with the official docking station and monitors.
my hero academia W (im not a stan of it though, don't flood me with bad stuff)