New Steam Deck Mods Add Widescreen and Dual-Screen Gaming

Steam Deck, Steam Machine, and Steam Frame continue to receive updates that expand their gaming features and improve the overall experience. Recent developments include widescreen support for PC games, a way to turn the Steam Deck into a wireless Wii U GamePad, improved SteamVR streaming, and a new GE Proton release. A new CSS Loader theme also changes the appearance of SteamOS gaming mode.

If black bars on your Steam Deck bother you, a new mod called Steam Any Aspect Ratio Mods might be worth checking out. Shared on the Steam Deck subreddit, the mod allows 18 PC games to fill the Deck's 16:10 screen properly. The supported games include Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil Village, Dark Souls II, both AI games, and Tales of Arise.

Steam Deck Gets Widescreen Mods for 18 PC Games

A couple of warnings to keep in mind, though. You shouldn't play Dark Souls II online with the mod, and Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 only work with the DirectX 11 version. If you have a Steam Machine connected to an ultrawide monitor, this mod is worth a look, too. Next up is something for emulation fans.

Dual Screen Mode turns your Steam Deck into a wireless Wii U Gamepad-style second screen for a Linux PC, such as the Steam Machine. The game runs on the host machine while the Steam Deck displays the second screen and handles the controls and touch input. It is a KDE Plasma tool that creates a virtual display and prepares Sunshine for streaming. You then connect to it from the Deck using Moonlight.

The developers said Simu worked especially well as a gamepad, and it also supports DS and 3DS-style setups. However, keep in mind that this is still an early beta. The host system must remain in desktop mode, and it doesn't support gyro or microphone forwarding. For Steam Frame owners, Valve's SteamVR Beta 2.19.1 improves streamed PCVR quality with clearer text, colors, and more detail around the image edges.

The default render resolution for streamed apps has increased to a render scale of 1.5. Meanwhile, the default encoded video size for frames has increased from 1152 to 1216. Early impressions have been positive, with one owner reporting that desktop streaming has gone from a blurry mess to something completely legible.

GE Proton 1112 Fixes Memory Leaks and Game Crashes

One important tip if you want to use the new defaults: If you have manually changed Steam Link's encoded video size or render resolution, set both options back to Auto. Otherwise, you will not get the updated defaults. Moving over to GE Proton, Glorious Eggroll has released GE Proton 1112 with a long list of changes.

One of the main improvements is a fix for a memory leak in Helldivers 2 that consumed around 360MB of RAM every hour. Space Marine 2 should also no longer crash after long gaming sessions. This matters on shared memory devices like the Steam Deck, where memory usage can affect the overall experience.

A new option also reports the Steam Deck and Steam Controller as an Xbox controller. This lets supported games show controller prompts instead of keyboard prompts. VR users can now use 32-bit OpenXR applications. To install the update, use ProtonUp-Qt in desktop mode, then select GE Proton 1112 for individual games under the compatibility settings.

Something new is available for anyone looking to change the appearance of their Steam Deck.

Float is a new CSS Loader theme that gives gaming mode a minimal interface. The menus use small frosted pills and cards that float over your game artwork, while the selected items turn white. The theme covers the home screen, library, individual game pages, quick access menu, settings, and even the on-screen keyboard.

You can also choose between banner and shelf layouts for the home screen. To install it, search for Float in the CSS Loader store. However, a few early bugs remain, including overlapping titles and a missing battery icon. Overall, these updates affect the Steam Deck, Steam Machine, and Steam Frame, covering game compatibility, emulation, VR streaming, controller support, and interface customization.

FAQ

Q. How many PC games are supported by the new Steam Deck widescreen mod?

A. The Steam Any Aspect Ratio Mods project supports 18 PC games, including Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil Village, Dark Souls II, and Tales of Arise.

Q. Can the Steam Deck work as a wireless Wii U Gamepad?

A. Yes. Dual Screen Mode allows the Steam Deck to act as a wireless second screen and controller for a Linux PC using Sunshine and Moonlight.

Q. What improvements does GE Proton 1112 bring to Steam Deck?

A. GE Proton 1112 fixes a memory leak in Helldivers 2, addresses long-session crashes in Space Marine 2, adds Xbox controller reporting, and supports 32-bit OpenXR applications.

Q. How can you install the Float theme on Steam Deck?

A. You can install the Float theme by searching for it in the CSS Loader store. It changes the appearance of gaming mode, including the home screen, library, settings, and on-screen keyboard.