The Steam Deck, as essentially a portable Linux PC with a tablet form factor, is a natural fit for a Wii U gamepad replacement. This guide will cover overall installation as well as some limitations that the Steam Deck imposes on Vanilla.

Getting Started

Installation

1. For installation, you will need to switch into Desktop Mode. This can be done by pressing the "STEAM" button, selecting the "Power" option, and selecting "Switch to Desktop".
2. Download Vanilla for x86_64 Linux from the Releases section of this repository.
3. Extract the files to a folder somewhere. It is recommended you extract them somewhere within your home folder (/home/deck) so you have full permissions to it and it doesn't get wiped from your system upon update. For the remainder of this guide, it will be assumed you extracted the files to /home/deck/vanilla.

Set account password

Vanilla requires some low-level access to your system's wireless hardware to connect to the Wii U. This requires a small portion of it to run as root/superuser.

On the Steam Deck, to acquire root access, you must enter your account password, however the Steam Deck has no password set by default, disabling this functionality. If you have never set one before, you must set a password to use Vanilla:

1. Open a Terminal (Konsole).
2. Enter the following command into the terminal and press Enter:

   passwd
   

Keep this password memorized because you will need to enter it when running Vanilla. For convenience, you can ask Vanilla to install a rule on the system that allows its backend to run as root without password entry, but you must enter the password at least once to do so.

If you already have set a password with passwd before, you can skip this step.

Running

While it is possible to just open bin/vanilla to run Vanilla, you may wish to add it to Steam for easier access. This section covers this process, as well as some downsides you may encounter if you do so.

Adding Vanilla to Steam

1. While in Desktop Mode, open Steam.
2. In the bottom-left corner, click "Add a Game".
3. From the popup menu, select "Add a Non-Steam Game...".
4. Click the "Browse" button.
5. Browse to the location of vanilla (e.g. /home/deck/vanilla/bin/vanilla). You may need to set the "Filter:" from "Applications" to "All Files".
6. After selecting vanilla, click the "Add Selected Programs" button.

Vanilla will now be available in your Gaming Mode library under the "NON-STEAM" section. You can return to Gaming Mode from Desktop Mode by clicking the "Return to Gaming Mode" button on the desktop.

Gyroscope

The gyroscope will need to be enabled in Steam Input for Vanilla to have access to it (under "Gyro Behavior" in Steam's per-game input settings). It doesn't matter which gyroscope setting you use (e.g. "as joystick", "as mouse", etc.) because Vanilla bypasses Steam Input's emulation and accesses the sensors directly, but it needs to not be set to "None" or else they will be turned off completely.

Configuring the Home button

The Wii U makes extensive use of its "Home" button, however there is no direct analog on the Steam Deck. When not using Steam (i.e. launching bin/vanilla directly in Desktop Mode), the STEAM button will be mapped to the Home button, however when using Steam - which will be the case most of the time - it is reserved for the Steam main menu.

As such, to use the Home button in Vanilla while using Steam/Gaming Mode, it is recommended to map its keyboard key to one of the additional Back Grip buttons.

1. Select Vanilla in your library.
2. Towards the right, there should be a button with a game controller icon on it. Press it to enter "Controller Settings".
3. A tutorial may appear, skip it by pressing A.
4. In Controller Settings, toggle "Enable Back Grip Buttons" on.
5. Set whichever one you want to map to the "H Key", the default key mapped to the "Home" button in Vanilla.
6. For the remaining buttons, it is recommended to either clear them so they can't be mistakenly pressed, or set them to something else. Here is a list of additional keys/functions you can set them to:

Key	Function
Escape	Disconnect from Wii U / Close Vanilla
H	Home button
Y	TV button (otherwise maps to "..." which is also reserved)
F5	Start/Stop Video Recording
F12	Take Screenshot

Usage

From here, usage should be fairly straightforward. For reference, if Vanilla prompts you for Connection setup, you will want a "Local" connection using interface "wlan0".