Pseudonymous maker “michaelthatsit,” hereafter merely “Michael,” has taken the heart of Valve’s well-liked Steam Deck moveable console and given it a brand new housing: a transformed Apple Magic Keyboard.
“Introducing Bento,” Michael writes of the mission, “a Steam Deck in a keyboard. There are some general flaws within the design that I would like to repair, however that is the primary working model! Actual proud of the way it turned out, however I will maintain refining it. I need to produce a mock product video so I need it as full as I can get it.”
The Bento is a Steam Deck, however reimagined as a wedge-style moveable laptop — full with wearable show. (📷: michaelthatsit)
The {hardware} itself is a largely unmodified Steam Deck, Valve’s well-liked moveable gaming PC. Fairly than the unique handheld type issue with built-in show, although, a 3D-printed framework locations it beneath an Apple Magic Keyboard — with a storage part on the proper for a dongle that connects it to a pair of XReal wearable show glasses. The battery stays intact which means it could actually nonetheless be used on-the-go for gaming and extra, with the wedge type issue offering simpler entry to a keyboard and thus making the underlying Linux working system extra usable than Valve’s keyboardless unique.
“Shapr3D, persistence, and a LOT of 3D printer filament,” writes Michael of the machine’s prototyping course of. “I’ve a pile of failed variations. I really snagged all of the [Steam Deck] components off eBay. I’ve thought-about a folding mechanism so the Apple trackpad collapses beneath when touring,” the maker provides of the machine’s lack of built-in pointing machine. “The opposite concept I’ve had is a contact pad module that matches within the compartment and may be snapped on the lip of the ‘tray.'”
Extra info on the mission is out there in Michael’s Reddit submit; an up to date design is anticipated to observe within the subsequent month or so.
