The Steam Deck gets a 3D printed ergo keyboard dock thanks to some creative modification and a clever clip-on hinged design
The Steam Deck is good at many things, but a wonderful typing experience it is not. Either you're furiously flipping away at those thumbsticks like some kind of—shock horror—console gamer, or you're jabbing your fingers and thumbs at the touchscreen like—even bigger shock horror—a mobile gamer. Well, thanks to some clever modding, the Steam Deck now has a 3D printable design for a keeb of its very own, and it hinges right off the Deck like it was meant to be there in the first place.
The keeb in question is the split ergonomic design Corne keyboard, a typing device available as a kit that's been given its very own 3D printable frame thanks to custom designs by Thingiverse user [a8ksh4], that in turn allow the keyboard to clip on to the Steam Deck (via Hackaday).
Links are provided in the design instructions to all the associated hardware required, including extensive print settings, so should you happen to own a decent 3D printer you can get hold of everything you need to build one yourself.
The Deck clip and dock design means that you can print the Deck clip and hinges separately from the keyboard frame itself, meaning that you can potentially use it as a mount to attach your Steam Deck to all sorts of other devices, or bolt on a different portable creation entirely if you possess the engineering brain.
If you're someone like me however, that's content to sit on the side-lines and marvel at someone else's 3D printed creations, it seems like it won't be long before the community takes advantage of that clever clip and iterates off the idea of adding just about anything you can think of to the bottom of a Steam Deck.
Personally I'd like to see some dual screen configurations, or maybe even a portable mini 3D printed wheel for racing games, just for the sheer giggles. Come on now, 3D printing community, don't let me down. You know it'd make for a fun project.
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For those of you more interested in the design than the execution, you can also have a play around with the 3D models right in your browser over on OnShape, and I'd highly recommend it for a closer look. It's a clever and effective use of the form factor, plus you can spin a Steam Deck around in 3D space and yell "wheeee" which I've been doing far too much of while I was supposed to be writing this piece.
Yep, that's why I'm not a designer. Still, I'm looking forward to what the modding community develops next. Feel free to call me if you're looking for suggestions. When it comes to this sort of hackery, I'm more of an ideas kinda guy.