Okay, so picture this: since the Steam Deck came out, modding wizards have been, well, all over it. You’ve got creations like the “Steam Brick” — don’t ask — and some guy even shoved 32GB of RAM into the thing. But now, this dude, Michaelthatsit (from Reddit, obviously), has gone and made something wild. Basically turned the Deck into this all-in-one keyboard thingy he’s calling the Bento. Yes, like the lunch box.
Michael’s contraption takes the Deck and makes it sorta like a desktop but way cooler (and maybe weirder?). He showed off his setup with these Type-C glasses. Not traditional, right? But it’s kind of genius? Anyway, he yanked out the guts of the console, like the motherboard and stuff, then stuck ’em in a 3D-printed case that snuggles underneath an Apple keyboard, of all things.
Too-techy? Yeah, I thought so.
The Bento’s got two little zones: a big one crammed with the Deck’s insides (vented, obviously — no one wants their tech to overheat) and a tiny section on the side. Michael used that spot to tuck in a USB hub, because of course he did. The whole shebang fits just right under the keyboard, which is neat, I guess.
Now, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Michael admits the first version of this gadget isn’t perfect. I mean, he glued it together in two parts because his 3D printer had a mind of its own. And, there’s no mouse yet. Uh-oh. But he’s dreaming big — wants to make it all one piece and somehow squeeze some mouse magic in there. Wonder how that’ll go.
Whether it’s nifty or nuts, Michael’s mod shows off the Steam Deck’s parts and how much you can tweak with a bit of imagination. Especially if you’re into SteamOS and desktop-y vibes on the go. So there’s that.
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