Just when you think you couldn’t get more jealous of the Steam Deck owners out there, the portable handheld PC just got even cooler. In the PC gaming scene, we tend to tweak things like crazy modular keyboards (opens in new tab)mice and completely epic computer cases (opens in new tab). You name it, we like to put a stamp on it. Even little things like desktop wallpapers or bios loading images are fun to make your PC your own.
The Steam Deck is generally a bit more difficult to customize, but that doesn’t stop people from following their customizable heart. I mean, you can still buy Steam Deck joint holders (opens in new tab). All over the web, Steam Deck owners are creating amazing custom startup animations, and these are the best we’ve found yet.
For starters, you may want to know how to customize your Steam Deck’s startup animation. That’s why we’ve posted a handy guide from Gaming On Linux on YouTube at the top of this article that explains the tricks of the trade.
It warns against using pre-built scripts as they can be edited to be malicious, and as always, it’s worth being careful with anything you install on your computer. From there, all you need is a video file to get started and while the process is a little fiddly, it’s also fairly straightforward if you’re so inclined.
But for now, back to the cool animations.
MatPage on Twitter (opens in new tab) is a gun with these mods that we first saw with their Frasier themed animation. It plays the theme song as it draws the familiar skyline from the opening of the hit sitcom, but replaces the Frasier lyrics with Steam Deck. It’s cute, simple, and great if you like Seattle or radio hosts.
3, 2, 1, let’s jam! I did another Steam Deck startup video…this time starring a particularly special Space Cowboy pic.twitter.com/VNdjmZledGSeptember 27, 2022
They also have a very cool Cowboy Bebop animation screen. In it you can see Spike’s silhouette smoking like in the intro with Valve and Steam Deck lyrics appearing while the popping theme song Tank! plays in the background. The only downside is that it ends abruptly after the 3, 2, 1, count showing loads in the Steam Decks interface instead of a bad brass section. They’ve provided the files on their Google Drive, for anyone who also wants to add some tossed salad and scrambled eggs or space cowboy vibes to their portable PC hybrid.
3, 2, 1, let’s jam! I did another Steam Deck startup video…this time starring a particularly special Space Cowboy pic.twitter.com/VNdjmZledGSeptember 27, 2022
Cryoctic on Reddit made a PornHub themed intro (opens in new tab), so you really get in the mood before gaming. For those looking for simplicity, there’s always this Curb your Enthusiasm startup video (opens in new tab). Or you can celebrate the new Monkey Island game (opens in new tab) with a very cute custom screen with Guybrush Threepwood (opens in new tab) say he wants a Steam Deck.
my_custom_monkey_island_boot_video_greetings_from from r/SteamDeckBootVids
For those who have let a user go after an extra dose of nostalgia adding boot animations for older consoles. They compiled them into a GitHub including a script (opens in new tab) to randomize them on startup. While it would be nice to have the Dreamcast screen, running the Switch boot animation on a Steam Deck is just what I need to confuse my friends.
Another way to honor the past is this lovely animated screen created by TareXmd on Reddit. This one shows beautiful graphics of handheld consoles that have been before with their startup sounds. It’s just so incredibly enjoyable to watch and listen to, a great way to kick off a Steam Deck session.
handheld_history_my_final_deck_boot_animation from r/SteamDeck
Although one of my personal favorites has to be this Futurama splash screen from DerpinHerps. The typical Futurama text describes Steam Deck and is then immediately towed inside by the Planet Express ship. That broken screen moment makes for a nice transition to the Steam Deck menu, which is a nice addition.
futurama_boot from r/SteamDeckBootVids
One forum on Reddit is devoted to the Steam Deck startup screens (opens in new tab) so you can find tons of other great ones there. People are also making requests, so rest assured that many more will be added in the future. Fortunately, the Steam Deck should also be a little easier to get by then (opens in new tab).
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