>Steam Deck Success
Published in 2023

The final step is complete: I've got my Steam Deck setup as a full replacement for my phone. The last puzzle piece was getting an Android emulator working for those few apps I still need. After some research, seemed like just using the built in emulator from Android Studio was the best bet, and it works like a charm! I'm running MySudo for phone and texting on the emulator, and there's a few other apps I'll probably add eventually. Everything else I need either runs on SteamOS, or in a virtual box.

Only major problem I wasn't able to solve was gps navigation. My plan for that is just to turn my old phone into a dedicated gps device that'll live in my car. Won't be needing it for anything else anyway.

The reason for wanting to fully replace my phone, is functionality. The Steam Deck is a portable pc. I was already using it to replace my work laptop, it's a smaller device to transport between offices, and with a full dock+keyboard+mouse+monitor setup at each office, it's more enjoyable to use than a cramped laptop.

It's also an entertainment center, with most of my Steam library being playable, as well as my collection of media available over Jellyfin. I just keep a usb c to html cable in the bag, and it's ready to connect to any available screen.

But I will close with my final pain point, because it's not all skittles and beer. A physical keyboard and mouse for when I'm not docked. I haven't found a Bluetooth set that's easy enough to carry around in my bag, at least not yet. I'm sure I'll find one eventually, but the set I already had, and the one I recently purchased, are both too large. So that will be the next part of the quest, ever onward and up!