One mad modder has massacred the Steam Deck, folding it into a 'Steam Brick' with 'no screen, no controller, and absolutely no sense'

Knolling shot of "Steam Brick," a Steam Deck with many of its parts removed so it could fit in a smaller enclosure, with some of the removed components arranged tastefully around it.
(Image credit: crastinator-pro)

Gaming handhelds are probably getting too big⁠—the massive lad that is the Acer Nitro Blaze 2 being a perfect example⁠—but how far would you be willing to go to make one fit in your backpack? DIYer crastinator-pro created the Steam Brick, a Steam Deck that has no mouth and it must scream, but I'm weirdly into it.

"The Steam Deck has been a game changer for travel," crastinator-pro wrote in a GitHub post documenting the project. "But I found myself leaving it behind more often than not, as it wouldn't fit in my backpack, took up a huge amount of carry-on space, and was a hassle to bring down from the overhead compartment when I wanted to use it."

Crastinator-pro also has the most niche use-case I've heard for Valve's handheld: Mostly keeping it plugged into a TV or a pair of AR glasses, the kind that can project a large screen in your field of view. "So I got to thinking," crastinator-pro wrote. "It could be so much smaller and lighter without the built-in controller and screen, but that would be ridiculous, right? …right?"

Ridiculous it may be, but by god, it works. The Steam Brick will still boot and connect to external peripherals with its screen and all controls save the power button removed. Tragically, crastinator-pro notes that the newer revision Steam Deck OLED is preferable for the mod⁠—RIP to that beautiful screen us Steam Deck early adopters would kill for.

Crastinator-pro kept the motherboard, battery, WiFi antenna, storage, USB-C out, power button, and cooling fan only⁠—say goodbye to the volume buttons and headphone jack in the final build in addition to the controls and the screen. Crastinator-pro trimmed down the Deck's internal aluminum frame and seated it in a simple 3D-printed enclosure, resulting in the final Steam Brick. Crastinator-pro cautions that this is really taking the life of the machine in your own hands, and there's no guarantee it won't cook itself or experience some other unforeseen failure down the line. But for the creator's very specific use case? It seems more or less perfect.

I love how crastinator-pro essentially reversed at 60 miles per hour into creating a Steam Machine, Valve's abortive first attempt at making its own console in the early 2010s, though being able to run off a battery certainly helps the Steam Brick run laps around its housebound predecessor. The process of making the Steam Brick also ironically shares a lot in common with console "portablizing" projects like those documented by GingerOfOz on YouTube. For years, enthusiasts have been finding ways to trim console motherboards to the minimum size where they'll still function, allowing them to slot into handheld enclosures and run games off a battery and internal storage, but still on original hardware.

Best laptop gamesBest Steam Deck gamesBest browser gamesBest indie gamesBest co-op games

Best laptop games: Low-spec life
Best Steam Deck games: Handheld must-haves
Best browser games: No install needed
Best indie games: Independent excellence
Best co-op games: Better together

Associate Editor

Ted has been thinking about PC games and bothering anyone who would listen with his thoughts on them ever since he booted up his sister's copy of Neverwinter Nights on the family computer. He is obsessed with all things CRPG and CRPG-adjacent, but has also covered esports, modding, and rare game collecting. When he's not playing or writing about games, you can find Ted lifting weights on his back porch.

Read more
A man smiling as he gazes into the yawning abyss of his massive Acer Nitro Blaze 11.
Acer unveils the comically huge Nitro Blaze 11, a gaming handheld more than three times the weight of a Nintendo Switch
Orange Pi 5 Plus single board computer
'Is this a practical way to play your Steam games? Nope, not even a little bit.' But getting Steam running on Armbian and a single board computer really is a thing
Valve Steam Deck with GeForce Now app overlaid on screen.
After a year in its company, I've done a complete 180 on my Steam Deck
Steam Deck with menu screen
The Steam Deck 2 doesn't need to happen because Valve will win either way (though I hope it does)
Still from a CNET video highlighting the Samsung concept device from MWC 2025
Samsung's handheld prototype delivers folding phone screens to Switch-like gaming hardware, and I am absolutely here for it
OneXPlayer 2 pro on a table
I never thought a handheld PC bloated with Windows could replace my Steam Deck, but after gaming on an old OneXPlayer 2 Pro I can see now I judged it too harshly
Latest in Hardware
A woman wearing a VR headset with dramatic, colourful lighting across the background
'World’s smallest LEDs' could lead to accurately lit screens with 127,000 pixels per inch and much more immersive VR
The NES themed 8BitDo Retro mechanical gaming keyboard on a blue background
I love the 8BitDo Retro C64 keyboard but I'd pick its cheaper NES-themed model near its lowest price ever during Amazon's Big Spring Sale
The snazzy red and black HyperX Cloud Alpha wireless headphones float in a teal void. The microphone is attached to the headset.
The best wireless gaming headset is now even better in the Amazon Big Spring Sale, boasting a more than $50 discount
A chip being held up in an Intel fab
Intel is reportedly 'working to finalize commitments from Nvidia' as a foundry partner, suggesting gaming potential for the 18A node
Amazon box
Don't panic! The 'Do Not Send Voice Recordings' option Amazon just removed was only used by 0.03% of customers and they can still have it
Digital generated image of people surrounded by interactive transparent and glowing panels with data. Visualising smart technology, blockchain and artificial intelligence
Now I shall demand the cookies! Proposed new browsing agreement turns the tables and lets users dictate terms to websites
Latest in News
Image of Ronaldo from Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves trailer
It doesn't really make sense that soccer star Ronaldo is now a Fatal Fury character, but if you follow the money you can see how it happened
Junah beginning a battle in Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Today's RPG fans are 'very sensitive to feeling like they wasted time' when they die, says Metaphor: ReFantazio battle planner—but Atlus still made combat hard anyway
Image of Cersei Lanniser from Game of Thrones: Kingsroad Steam early access trailer
A new Game of Thrones RPG is coming to Steam today with a cast of 'familiar faces,' which is good because it's really the only way to tell it's a GoT game at all
The new Prime Asset featured in the upcoming update for the Outlast Trials.
The Outlast Trials puts its already paranoid players under surveillance for a time-limited story event
A Viera looking confused in Final Fantasy 14.
Old armor continues to fall victim to Final Fantasy 14's bizarre two-channel dye system, unless you're super into changing the colour of teeny-tiny eyelets: 'Why even bother at this point?'
Starfield: Shattered Space
By the time Bethesda was on Starfield, you'd 'basically get in trouble' for breaking schedule, says former dev: 'A lot of the great stuff within Skyrim came from having the freedom to do what you want'