NucDeck is a DIY Steam Deck that shows we don’t need to settle for what handheld gaming brands offer. Better yet, the RGB version costs around $400, provided you have a 3D printer handy. You’ve got to respect the ingenuinety on display here.
Let’s go over the chassis first. To make the NucDeck, you’ll need to pick your NUC, gather the right materials, and download the blueprint. You can find all the instructions and files on creator Dan McKenzie’s GitHub page. It’s all open source, which is always a pro in our book. McKenzie has created it to allow for a bit of customisation, but you’ll be able to do even more if you know a lot about 3D printing.
The trailer above shows one of the potential looks for the device. It reminds me of a custom DBrand, eXtremeRate, or Jsaux shell, which is incredibly slick. At the very least, it could rival Asus ROG Ally aesthetically. McKenzie mostly spotlights retro games, but depending on your NUC’s power level, you can play something newer. Just remember to pick the correct parts for the NUC you’re going for and tinker with your game settings. We especially like the dedicated battery display because it actually sits outside of the screen itself. You’ll always know when you need to charge without alt-tabbing.
The slightly different builds also mean you could potentially pick a shape that suits you better. Of course, you’ll need more knowledge of the ins and outs to get the right curvature. There’s a whole series on YouTube going through a lot of the work that went into the NucDeck, so make sure to check those out if you like to know all about a device before committing to it.
All in all, the NucDeck is a really cool concept, and it’s great to see it officially released. The idea that you can transform a mini PC into something portable is a very clever one, and we’ll be keen to see what McKenzie does next. They’ve already set their sights on an AMD version, so it shouldn’t be too long before you can pick your favourite CPU brand.
