modder has disassembled a Valve Steam Deck to fit its hardware inside a vertical chassis styled after the Nintendo Game Boy. The unique custom handheld is named SteamBoy. But the device is still a work in progress and currently requires an external monitor to function.
The SteamBoy (WIP)
by u/PhyFawkes in SteamDeckModded
To achieve the compact shape, the builder stacked the original circuit boards and battery in a tight sandwich layout. The front face of SteamBoy features standard ABXY buttons, 1 analog stick, and 1 trackpad to navigate SteamOS. Fitting a screen into this custom vertical shell was the hardest part of the project. The designer chose a 1200x1080 AMOLED panel designed for virtual reality headsets, though complete integration of the display is still underway.
Shrinking the footprint required completely replacing the factory fan. Instead, the creator designed a custom 3D printed bracket to hold a tiny 30 mm fan and a small copper heatsink. This microscopic thermal system cannot handle the standard heat output of the main processor. To keep operating temperatures safe, the owner had to lower the CPU and GPU voltage by 50 mV. This undervolt keeps the hardware stable while playing games in the new shell.
