Steam Deck modder adds iPod controllers & it’s absolutely cursed

A Steam Deck owner has decided to give themselves a new level of gameplay challenge by adding a new type of controller to their handheld – a pair of Apple iPods.

Steam Deck owners have come up with some truly wild set-ups geared towards various uses, such as a dual screen, or a Steam Deck used to control DJ equipment. One Steam Deck owner and Reddit user has gone in a unique direction by creating a new control scheme for their handheld by using a pair of Apple iPods. No, we don’t know why either.

Reddit user Nekomichi posted the extremely cursed setup with the amusing caption: “Tired of comfortable Deck control? Why not try playing with a pair of iPods as controllers instead? Guaranteed to add an extra layer of challenge to your gameplay!”

Cursed Steam Deck controller option

Obviously, the post was tongue-in-cheek, but Nekomichi went into detail about how the setup was created. The iPods were modified using Rockbox custom firmware in order for them to act as USB input devices.

The left iPod was working as a mouse cursor of sorts, with the center button being the left click. The right-hand iPod, meanwhile, is working as a multimedia controller, with fast-forward making the character step forward and rewind a step back. Hardware limitations mean it is not possible to simply hold the button to make the character walk, and instead, Nekomichi had to rapidly tap the button to allow for walking.

Comments on the Reddit thread ranged from baffled to amused, along with some mild (and joking) concern about the state of Nekomichi’s mental health. One post humorously noted that Nekomichi had solved the problem of stick drift by not having sticks at all.

Other posters wondered if this could be a new avenue to be used by charity streamers who are looking for a new way to raise money by uniquely playing games.