SteamDeck Experience

I’ve been playing this game mostly docked at 1080p simply because I feel it’s so gorgeous looking it deserves to be seen on a larger screen. I use the SteamDeck’s native FSR 1.0 upscaling from 720 to 1080p because I feel it looks slightly nicer than the in game FSR 2.0. I recognize that the in game FSR might net you a couple extra FPS, but I feel it muddies things a bit and I happily let the minor FPS boost go for the benefit of visual fidelity.

Most of my gameplay has been in the single player campaign, but do have a Red Dead Online character and have done some minor gameplay and feel the performance and fidelity are the same as the single player campaign (less the aspects of playing with other humans).

My SteamDeck settings below below give me a really nice balance of enjoyable FPS and amazing visual fidelity. Let’s be real, you can play this game and get super FPS by lowering the settings, but if you are not seeing rainbows in the waterfall mists, then you are really missing out on the visual experience.

I rate it Almost 5 Stars because it crashed a couple times and it requires an online connection to play. Since this is my review, I dont weight the online requirement very heavy as I just play at home and it doesn’t effect my gameplay.

ProtonDB

Red Dead Redemption 2 currently has a ProtonDB Rating of Gold. The current Deck Verified Status is ‘Playable’. The biggest complaint could be seen as requirments of an Active Internet Connection for setup as well as online and single player.

• This game’s launcher/setup tool may require the touchscreen or virtual keyboard, or have difficult to read text
• Some in-game text is small and may be difficult to read
• All functionality is accessible when using the default controller configuration
• This game shows Steam Deck controller icons
• This game’s default graphics configuration performs well on Steam Deck
• This game’s first-time setup requires an active Internet connection
• Singleplayer gameplay requires an active Internet connection

SteamDeck Settings

I play mostly docked at 1080 but also play on deck.
When I do I just change the resolution from 720 to 800.

I am also using CryoByte33 Utilities on my SteamDeck (using recommended settings). I am a fan of his work and he has a nice YouTube Channel that goes deep into game and deck settings.

SteamDeck Settings: Configuration for SteamDeck in GameMode

• Get CryoByte33 Utilities. Use the recommended settings. (Not required but I recommend it as it does a couple nice things to the deck/os)
• Go into the SteamDeck Settings (left menu) and set the resolution to your display. Mine is 1920x1080@120. This is the video signal resolution the deck will generate.
• Go into the RDR2 SteamDeck Settings (gear icon, then settings): General - Game Resolution: Native

Change the Scaler: Use the Native FSR

• When in Game, press the (…) button to bring the left menu up.
• Go to the Performance Menu (the one that is a battery)
• Change ‘Scaling Filter’ to FSR.
• Select a value for FSR Sharpness. (I’m using 5 for RDR2)

As I said above, I prefer the visual differences the system FSR gives over the FSR implementation in the game itself. The tradeoff is a couple of FPS, but I feel FSR 2.0 looks a tad bit muddy in comparison.

In Game Settings: The actual ‘In Game’ settings of RDR2

I’m no expert but I went for a higher fidelity choice, you could prob go all medium settings for some extra frames but then you don’t get all the rainbows in the mist and the extra pretty stuff.

• Resolution 1280x720 This is the frame size it will actually render.
  This will make the game render at 720p and then the deck will upscale it to 1080p.
• Refresh Rate: 120 (my monitor)
• Full Screen
• VSync: On
• Trippel Buffering: On

Preset: Custom

• Texture Quality: Ultra
• Anisotropic Filtering: 16x
• Lighting Quality: High
• Global Illumination Quality: High
• Shadow Quality: High
• Far Shadow Quality: High
• Screen Space Ambient Occlusion High
• Reflection Quality: Medium
• Mirror Quality: Medium
• Water Quality: Medium (This could probably be High)
• Volumetrics Quality: High
• Particle Quality: High
• AMD FRS 2.0: Off
• TAA: Medium

Where to Buy

I recommend purchasing from Steam directly as that makes everything easiest on SteamDeck. I’m not sure about this game, but technical bits like shadercaches have me recomending acquiring games directly from Steam.

• Steam Store Page
• RockStar Direct
• Amazon Standard Edition
• Amazon Ultimate Edition

^{Disclaimer: Amazon links are my affiliate links to keep the lights on for JB’s Lab.}

Box Text

• From the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2 is an epic tale of life in America at the dawn of the modern age.
• America, 1899. The end of the wild west era has begun as lawmen hunt down the last remaining outlaw gangs
• Winner of over 175 Game of the Year Awards

Join Me

Join me at my Steam Group or Reddit and check out my Steam Review of RDR2 as well as other games on my Steam Curator Page. Likewise click on any of the screen shots above to view them at my steam profile.

Such Convenience

“This USB C to USB Adapter with an innovative 180 degrees U shape design, is much more comfortable for playing games when you lie on bed while charging.” -JSAUX

I think it’s nice even when sitting. I currently use 2 90 degree adapters and while there’s nothing wrong with them, the JSAUX 180 USB-C Adapter has a nice formfactor.

The Adapter comes in a pack of Two

USB-C Male to USB-C Female Adapter

• Max Output: 20V/5A 100W
• Date transfer: USB 3.1/10Gbps
• Video Transmission: 4K@60Hz/3D

USB-C Male to USB-A Female Adapter

• Max Output: 20V/3A 60W
• Date transfer: USB 3.0/5Gbps
• Video Transmission: (None)

USB-C to USB-C Video Transmission

• 4K/60Hz/10bit/4:4:4
• 4K/60Hz/12bit/4:2:0
• 2K/120Hz/12bit/4:4:4HDR

Box Text

180 Degree Full Function Data Transmission

These USB C to USB Adapter with an innovative 180 degrees U shape design, is much more convenient and more comfortable for playing games, watching videos, working when you lie on the couch or bed while charging. Important Note: This 180° adapter cannot work with case which thickness more than 0.46 inches and bezel thickness more than 0.16 inches.

100W Fast Charging & 10Gbps Transfer Speed

This USB-C Male to USB-C Female up to 100W (20V/5A) of output current, providing the fastest possible charging for your devices and Offers data transfer speed of 10Gbps.

4K@60Hz Video & Audio Transmission

The USB-C to USB-C 3.1 180 degree extender supports up to 4K@60Hz video signal and audio transferring for the connection between your USB-C devices to another monitor or display with USB C interface. (Note: Please make sure both your input device and output monitor have usb type c port and support video input and output).

Compatibility

Widely work with most Type C devices. For Steam Deck, Switch, MacBook Pro, Surface Book 2, Samsung Galaxy S22/S21/S20/S10, Note 20/10, LG G7/V20,Google Pixel, ChromeBook, etc.

What You Get

• USB C Male to USB C Female Adapter
• USB C Male to USB A Female Adapter
• 18 months warranty and and 24/7 customer service

^{Disclaimer: Amazon links are my affiliate links to keep the lights on for JB’s Lab.}

Tacticool

I really like how these look and feel, but I’ll be honest.. I’m not a heavy track pad user. That said, I feel they only enhance the trackpad.

This is a sticker.. Or more like a vinyl decal. That said it feels super high end. The material is super thin but strong feeling and it was cut exactly, and I mean exactly right to fit. No gaps, no overlap. Super well made.

I rate it 5 Stars because I literally could find no faults.

Box Text

• An Easy way to add TEXTURE and STYLE to your trackpads!
• IMPROVE The tactile feel of your Steam Deck’s Trackpads. Protect them from wearing out prematurely.
• Easily Removable and Replaceable with NO residue left behind.
• Two TouchProtect included. Enough for both trackpads of one Steam Deck
• MADE IN THE USA from the highest quality automotive materials on the market. The same materials that are trusted with high end supercars.

Lots of Flavors

There are many themes of the TouchProtect Steam Deck Trackpads available. See all the Available Colors on Amazon. There is even a portal themed version. I’d love a white Deck with Orange and Blue accents. Maybe someday I’ll try a skin.

Carbon Black

Carbon Blue

Carbon Red

Hex Black

Hex Blue

Hex Silver

Mini Hex

Mirage Camo

TelePORT (Because they didn’t want to say Portal)

Waterfall

This site is a place for me and my friends to share thoughts and ideas we have on topics related to computers and gaming. I will feature Guides and Reviews a long with stories about adventures in computer science and gaming.

We are all Scientists

We call this site ‘The Lab’ because it’s a place of experimentation. Figuring out how to make things better. I work as a computer scientist in a laboratory and found there is a lot of computer science overlap in gaming.

This site will be a place to share ways to make our gaming and computing experience better.

Much of it will focus on Steam, the SteamDeck, Games, and TeamSpeak but the whole video gaming ecosystem is full of topics and ideas that will be showcased here.

Hand Crafted

This site and all the content is lovingly handcrated by JohnnyBlocks on his SteamDeck. Keep an eye out for changes as we add content and add features to our site.

Thank you for stopping by. If you find our content helpful or interesting, do us a solid and share it on your favorite social sites and stop by to see new content.

This TeamSpeak soundpack is short and sweet. It gives you the minimum information needed to know what is happening. Mostly user name and channel name is what is relayed via TTS. Don’t forget to set your phonetic name.

• Clean Soundpack Short TTS Click to Download

Note: The voice used is configured in your PC’s control panel, ‘Text to Speech’ settings. I use Hazel, who is British. You can get additional voices and languages from Microsoft Speech Platform.

Source: This soundpack was created by Adam Strandberg and is originally hosted on MyTeamSpeak.com

Matrix Inspired

I’m using a Matrix boot animation from KnightMD so I decided to theme my desktop experience to match. This is my current desktop setup.

Hide Desktop Icons

I like a clean desktop. I don’t care for icons on my desktop. It looks cluttery. I access files via the file manager and not from clicking on the desktop. It’s just another folder to me.

1. Right Click on the Desktop
2. Select ‘Configure Desktop and Wallpaper…’
3. Change Layout from ‘Folder’ to ‘Desktop’
4. Click ‘OK’ or ‘Apply’ Note: This is where you can change your wallpaper as well.

Desktop Widgets

There are many desktop widgets for the Steam Deck. It’s Arch Linux running KDU and it brought the widgets with. Visualiztions for memory, processor, storage utilization, KDE Connect (connect your phone to your Steam Deck), and so many others.

Add Binary Clock

I like the Binary Clock. While I wont actually use it to tell time, I like the aethetic.

1. Right click on the desktop and lect ‘+ add widgets…’
2. Filter the list by typing ‘Binary’ into the search box.
3. Click on the Binary Clock Widget and it will be added to your desktop.
4. Right click on the desktop and select ‘Enter Edit Mode’
5. Resize the Binary Clock and move it to the desired location.
6. Right Click on the widget and select ‘Configure Binary Clock’
7. Modify the Configuration to your preference and save the changes
8. Click on the red circle x below to close ‘Edit Mode’
9. Enjoy your new Binary Clock Widget.

Add Fuzzy Clock

I also like Fuzzy Clocks so I added it to my Task Bar. I even added it twice to get two values at different accuracy levels.

1. Right click on the decktop and lect ‘+ add widgets…’
2. Filter the list by typing ‘Fuzzy’ into the search box.
3. Click on the Fuzzy Clock Widget and it will be added to your Task Bar.
4. If you want two then click it again.
5. Right Click on the first Fuzzy Clock widget and select’Configure Fuzzy Clock’
6. Select your desired level of fuzzyness and save. Mine uses the left most ‘Accurate’ setting.
7. Right Click on the second Fuzzy Clock widget and select ‘Configure Fuzzy Clock’
8. Select your desired level of fuzzyness. Mine on the right uses the center setting.
9. Modify the Configuration to your preference and save the changes
10. Enjoy your Fuzzy Clock

A. Add Microsoft Edge Browser via Discovery Store

1. Restart into ‘Desktop’ Mode of the Deck.

2. Click on the ‘Steam Icon’ in the lower left corner.
   Click on the ‘System’ to show the applications.
   Click on ‘Discover’ to start the Software Center.

3. In the ‘Discover Software Center’, search for ‘Edge’ When Microsoft Edge shows as a result, click on the ‘Install’ button.

4. Once the installation is complete the browser is ready to use.

This guide will use Chrome as the Browser in the examples, but will also show how to use Edge.
Follow THIS GUIDE to install Microsoft Edge on the Steam Deck.

I currently use Disney+, HBOMax, Hulu, Netflix, Paramount+, Prime Video, and YouTube.

Step-by-Step

Prerequisite

Decide which streaming service you want to add. Find the URL for the streaming section.
This is the URL you are on once successfully logged in and ready to make a video selection.
For this demonstration I will be adding Disney+.
The URL is https://www.disneyplus.com.

A. Add Chrome or Edge as Non-Steam Game

1. Restart into ‘Desktop’ Mode of the Deck.

2. Start ‘Steam’ so it runs in Desktop mode.

3. In Steam, click the ‘ADD A GAME’ button in the lower left corner.
   

4. Select ‘Google Chrome’ from the list and click ‘ADD SELECTED PROGRAMS’
   Note: You may alternately select ‘Microsoft Edge’ at this step.

5. ‘Google Chrome’ or ‘Microsoft Edge’ should now show in your list of games.
   

B. Change Name and Parameters

1. Right click on the shortcut name ‘Google Chrome’ (or ‘Microsoft Edge’ depending on your choice) in your game list
   Select ‘Properties…’ and the properties for the shortcut will open.
   

2. Click into the area that says ‘Google Chrome’ (or ‘Microsoft Edge’ depending on your choice) and change the name.
   I am adding Disney Plus, so I changed the name to ‘Disney+’.

3. Ignore ‘TARGET’ and ‘START IN’ fields.

4. Replace the ‘LAUNCH OPTIONS’ with this entire code segment, replacing the disneyplus URL with the streaming service of your choice.

   For Google Chrome

    run --branch=stable --arch=x86_64 --command=/app/bin/chrome --file-forwarding com.google.Chrome @@u @@ --window-size=1024,640 --force-device-scale-factor=1.25 --device-scale-factor=1.25 --kiosk https://www.disneyplus.com --edge-kiosk-type=fullscreen --no-first-run
   

   For Microsoft Edge

    run --branch=stable --arch=x86_64 --command=/app/bin/edge --file-forwarding com.microsoft.Edge @@u @@ --window-size=1024,640 --force-device-scale-factor=1.25 --device-scale-factor=1.25 --kiosk https://www.disneyplus.com --edge-kiosk-type=fullscreen --no-first-run
   

5. Click in the Dark Square next to ‘Disney+’ and change it to a Disney+ image file of your choice then close the ‘SHORTCUT’ window.
   

6. Disney+ is now in your game library as a non-steam game.
   Restart into ‘Game Mode’

C. Add Controller Layout, Grid Icons, Banner, and Heroes

1. Find ‘Disney+’ in your game library and click on it to select it.
   

2. Click on the controller icon 🎮 to the right to add a controller layout.
   The ‘Disney+ Controller Settings’ window will open.
   

3. Select the Controller Layout that is ideal for you.
   The default ‘Web Browser’ makes the controller work intuitively with the streaming services.
   You can customize it to your liking or search for a community configuration of your choice.
   There is a ‘Disney+ for SteamDeck’ controller configuration that I am using.

4. Add Icon, Banner, and Heroes for Disney+ to make it look like an offical app.
   

   This can be done via SteamGridDB Decky Plugin, the SteamGridDB manually, via the SGDBoop app, or via BoilR This site will have guides linked here once I have time to write them up.

5. Launch the newly added app, log in with your account, and start streaming.
   Chrome (or Edge) will cache your credentials and your login with persist.

   Next time you launch the app, it will already be logged in, ready to start streaming.

I hope you have enjoyed my content or found some of it useful. If you’d like to reward my work, I would be honored. I will add your name to the list below to show my gratitude. Any donation goes back into the site and content.

Thank you so much!

Buy me a coffee

Glorious Contributors

::cricket sounds::