Today, I learned that the Steam Deck works with external DVD players

I messed up at multiple points in my life if I’m relying on a Steam Deck to help me play DVDs. But that’s where I’m at, having gotten rid of practically every device I owned over the past few years that could play discs.

The Steam Deck cannot play DVDs by itself, so to revisit our collection of discs, I had the idea (one that I’m far from the first to try) to connect a no frills, USB-powered DVD drive to the Deck’s TV dock, then run the discs with the VLC media player app. I’m equal parts proud and embarrassed by this hacky setup. You don’t need to feel bad for me!

This method, as you might have assumed, is about as far from an elegant user experience as it gets, especially if you’re trying to implant it into an entertainment center. Actually using it without tearing your hair out involves either using a mouse connected to your Steam Deck, or painstakingly remapping VLC’s mouse and keyboard commands to a controller. Honestly, neither choice nets something that feels “good” to use.

An image showing the Steam Deck portable console nested into its TV dock. The Deck and its dock are sitting on top of an external DVD player that is plugged into the dock.

It’s easier to set things up on the software front, thankfully. The VLC media player app is supported by the SteamOS version of Linux, and you can find it in the Discover store that’s accessible in the Steam Deck’s desktop mode. The Steam Deck: It’s a computer! After installing it, right-clicking the app and selecting the “Add to Steam” option will add it (and, really, any other app) to the collection of tiles that show up in the Deck’s more TV-friendly gaming mode.

The VLC software is launched directly, and the interface takes up my entire TV screen with its Windows 98 style utilitarian design. From there, it’s pretty breezy if you’ve used the software before. If not, learning how it works shouldn’t take much effort if you’ve tinkered with the Steam Deck’s desktop mode.

A photo of a 55-inch television with the VLC media player app shown on it. It is being powered by a Steam Deck with a USB DVD player plugged into its dock. — It’s tough not to laugh whenever I see this interface come across my TV.

What is my solution to watching DVDs in the future? If it continues to work, I’m not sure, but I do hope it isn’t. That said, I have a voice in my head that’s making me lightly consider the various dedicated 4K Blu-ray player options. I’m also hoping that Sony actually follows through with the rumors that it’ll someday sell PS5 disc drives separately. It’s likely to be more expensive and look as kludgy as the Steam Deck. But, at least it’d be a little more futureproof, likely with support for 4K Blu-ray discs.

I envy you if you can’t currently relate to my debacle of running out of disc-friendly gadgets. Situations like mine will become more frequent. Using Microsoft’s recent, huge Xbox leak as an indication that more companies are heading toward an all-digital future, the ability to play discs of any kind in your next console may not be a given. In the case of video discs of any sort, you’ll have to put in more effort and maybe more money to enjoy your collection down the road. As most enthusiasts of physical media will agree, the effort involved is a big part of what makes it fun.