All Decked Out with Somewhere to Go

Since it is designed explicitly for portable gaming, it is no surprise that the Steam Deck interface consists of a D-pad, thumbsticks, and a few buttons. But with their high-resolution displays, powerful processors, wireless connectivity, and long-lasting rechargeable batteries, it is clear that Steam Decks are really laptops in a handheld form factor. How much sense does it make, then, to lug a laptop around with you for work or general computing tasks when you are already bringing your Steam Deck along for entertainment?

Not much, in the opinion of Justinas Jakubovskis, who recently designed a 3D-printed case that converts the Steam Deck into a very capable laptop when the situation calls for it. This makes it easy to answer some emails or take a video call on the road. But when it is time to game again, the device pops right back out so you can get your hands on it.

The clamshell case is 3D-printed in both PET-G and TPU, and it snugly holds a Steam Deck in the upper half, where it takes the place of a monitor on a traditional laptop. The lower half has a spot for a keyboard to be snapped in, but you will need to purchase a model (Logitech Pebble Keys 2 K380s Bluetooth Keyboard) that the case was specifically designed to hold. As demonstrated by Jakubovskis, a wireless mouse can also be included in the mix to give a complete laptop computing experience.

The case looks perhaps a bit chunky, but quite nice all the same. More importantly, it looks highly functional. Completed cases are not available for sale, but the 3D model files are available for sale for about nine dollars for those that have a printer large enough to produce the parts. Among owners of Steam Decks, that is probably a reasonably large percentage. Go get them if you want a Steam Deck that is party on the top, but business on the bottom.