It's hard to escape the comparison of Valve's Steam Deck to Nintendo's underwhelming hybrid console. We've seen the Deck used like a better, more rugged Switch, and skin maker Dbrand just released a parody-like Switch-themed vinyl wrapper for the Deck; YouTuber SpikeHD has even taken the Switch to Steam How about a Deck?

The short answer is "you can't," but SpikeHD, God bless him, tried installing Steam on Nintendo's aging mega-hit handheld. The resulting 12-minute video is a fascinating peek into the digital depths of the Switch, stripping away the "Nintendo magic" in an absurd scientific experiment to reveal the sterile, ordinary computer underneath.

For some time already, you can run Ubuntu on the Switch, which in theory allows you to run a Linux version of Steam on a jailbroken console. From there, just pull up the big picture UI, badabin, and unlock the Steam deck. The first hurdle is hacking the Switch to be able to use Linux - this is only possible on older models of the console and is a stressful process to watch.

A USB C-based "payload" is needed to install Linux onto the SD card and interrupt the initialization of the Switch's own UI, which requires shorting the electronic connector on the Switch's Joy Con rail. Given all this, we really appreciate that Deck is user-configurable right out of the box.

From there, after much difficulty, SpikeHD was able to get Linux running on the console. Unfortunately, this is where SpikeHD runs into the absolute limitations of the Switch's aging Nvidia Tegra system-on-chip: while the Tegra has an Arm-based CPU, Steam can only run on x86 processors like Intel and AMD on x86 processors such as Intel or AMD.

SpikeHD was able to force Steam to install, but not the game. As a consolation, the YouTuber then installed Android on a Steam Deck-themed Skin, which is physically closest to the actual Switch Deck; combining the Switch's withering low-power hardware with a Linux DIY shenanigans of maximal difficulty is the worst combination, but an equally fascinating and entertaining project. Frankly, I think the best DIY hacks are the absurdly funny ones that should be unfeasible.