A modder created her own “Steam Deck” from Framework parts, and you can too

Valve’s Steam Deck has become a phenomenon for PC gamers, but there’s just one problem: you can’t pick the parts and assemble it yourself. That’s half the fun of computer games! (The other half eats ramen noodles and pawns all their stuff so they can afford those PC parts.)

But one modder combined the flexible hardware of a Framework Laptop and a 3D printer to create his own portable system.

“Beth’s Deck” is available on 3D printing enthusiast site Printables (spotted by Liliputing), and it’s an impressive piece of DIY engineering. Beth Le calls it a “fully upgradable, future-proof laptop.”

Its system uses a semi-stock 13″ Framework motherboard (any one will do, regardless of whether you prefer Intel or AMD), a battery from the same 13″ Framework laptop, an 8″ 1280×800 LCD touchscreen, various components. from an Android mobile controller and a 3D printed plastic frame with additional screws, cable adapters and stands.

Add in the RAM, SSD, and operating system, and you’ve got a portable Windows gaming machine that (at least by my calculations) should have more features. splendor than Steam Deck, and lasts longer on a single charge. Notably, the Beth Deck design can be assembled in “about 15 minutes” and requires no soldering.

Beth includes a list of needed components in her printable article with links to where you can buy them all. The parts to build total cost about $200 before shipping, but of course that doesn’t include the 3D printed chassis or the very expensive Framework Laptop components that need to be repurposed. Even in the original design, the shell uses an impressively spare 10 printed parts to create the final product.

While it’s an extremely cool design—and what’s even cooler is that the creator is making the plans and instructions available for free—she’s under no illusion that it doesn’t quite measure up to a fully commercial handheld gaming mobile device. “Minor problems” with the fully assembled Beth Deck include a slightly sticky left joystick, a battery prone to overheating, and the fact that “the power button flies off and goes out the window when you try to take the case apart.”

The Printables community loved this design, which was created as part of the ongoing competition to create cool frames for Framework motherboards. But Beth isn’t resting on her laurels. “I also plan to make a custom PCB for version 2 to make it thinner and lighter, but that will take some time,” she says in the comments to her post.