The Steam Deck, a handheld PC console created by Valve, already delivers a remarkably convenient and powerful portable gaming experience, letting players take the vast majority of their Steam library with them on the go. However, PhyFawkes, a player known for modding consoles, still intends to push their limits and is determined to make the device even smaller.
To this end, PhyFawkes designed a shell only 32 mm thick, with the overall design inspired by the casing of Nintendo’s classic Game Boy handheld, ultimately succeeding in fitting the Steam Deck’s motherboard inside and naming it the Steam Boy.
Incredibly, he didn’t make any modifications to the Steam Deck’s native motherboard—even the original battery, speakers, buttons, touch panel, and analog sticks from the Valve handheld were transplanted into this chassis completely unchanged. Instead, he carried out extensive redesigns to the packaging and motherboard layout, paired with several longer ribbon cables and carefully planned positioning to make every component fit perfectly within this extremely compact body. Combined with a battery that extends horizontally across the entire device, the build is capped off with a newly modified screen.
According to PhyFawkes, he put considerable effort into the thermal design of this Steam Boy, installing a 30 × 7 mm cooling fan assembly on a custom 3D-printed PETG mounting bracket. The bracket can bend to just the right degree while also withstanding a certain amount of heat without deforming. Additionally, to lower the operating temperature, he also undervolted the CPU and GPU by 50 millivolts.
While testing the indie game Tunic, the console’s temperature stayed around 70 degrees, whereas playing Expedition 33: Light and Shadow pushed it above 80 degrees. Both games ran smoothly, though the hot air blew toward your hands, and a small square area above the heatsink also got hot.
Currently, the buttons on the front of the Steam Boy are working normally, while the Steam Deck’s original trigger and shoulder buttons are still buried under the control panel. However, PhyFawkes has already come up with a way to route the buttons out. As for the touchpad, it can currently be used as a second analog stick via Steam Input. Although the built-in screen is not finished yet, the Steam Boy can already output to an external display.
Currently, the built-in screen remains one of the biggest challenges for the Steam Boy, and PhyFawkes is using a 1200 × 1080, 90Hz AMOLED panel originally designed for VR headsets. However, since the pin configuration is incompatible, he still has to design a custom adapter while also adjusting the BIOS on the Steam Deck motherboard.
PhyFawkes also recently shared this modding project with players on the Reddit forum, along with a short demo video and a teardown explanation. Although the Steam Boy is currently able to perform all the necessary functions, experiencing the full feature set will still require waiting until the screen and BIOS issues are resolved.
Source: KOCPC Chinese