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

Vanilla can be run from Desktop Mode, but it's far more recommended to add it to Steam and launch it from Gaming Mode. These are the trade-offs:

• Home and TV buttons: in Desktop Mode, the Steam button and the Quick Access buttons are used as the Wii U's Home and TV buttons respectively. In Gaming Mode these buttons are not available to Vanilla, so you must assign these functions to the back grip buttons if you want to use them.
• Quick Access: under Gaming Mode, the Quick Access Menu can be opened like in any Steam game to quickly adjust settings, view battery status etc., while in Desktop Mode this functionality is not easily accessible.
• Input Difficulties: Desktop Mode behavior quirks and default button mappings make it very tricky to use Vanilla. Workarounds are listed below, but Gaming Mode offers a much more seamless experience. Additionally, under Gaming Mode you can assign Vanilla-specific button mapping which may not be appropriate for Desktop Mode.

Overall, Vanilla works best in Gaming Mode.

Gaming Mode

Add 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.

Button Layout

For the best experience, some modifications to the button layout are required.

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.

The Home button should also be assigned to one of the back grip buttons or the trackpad.

Full instructions:

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, for "Gyro Behavior", select "Gyro To Mouse".
5. Select "Edit Layout"
6. In "Trackpads", under "Left Trackpad", select Behavior: "Single Button"
7. Next to "Click", press Select, and under Keyboard map it to the "H Key", the default key mapped to the "Home" button in Vanilla.

If you wish to customize your layout further (e.g. by utilizing the back grip buttons), 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

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".

Desktop Mode

Virtual Keyboard Configuration

Due to some quirks with how the Steam virtual keyboard works, it may not allow you to input your password when it's needed. To work around this, enable the Plasma virtual keyboard, which will open automatically whenever a virtual keyboard is needed:

1. Open System Settings.
2. In the left side menu, open Keyboard, then Virtual Keyboard.
3. Near the top-right of the window, select: Show Virtual Keyboard: With Touch and Tablet.
4. Select Plasma Keyboard from the large selection menu.
5. Click Apply on the bottom-right.

Gyroscope

Similar to Gaming Mode, the Gyroscope must be enabled in the button layout for Vanilla to pick it up.

1. Open Steam Settings (in either Gaming Mode or Desktop Mode).
2. In the Controller section, choose Show Advanced Settings at the bottom.
3. Under Non-Game Controller Layouts, next to Desktop Layout, choose Edit.
4. Under Quick Settings By Action Set, switch to the Gamepad action set.
5. For Gyro Behavior, select "Gyro To Mouse" or any other option except "None". There is no need to configure any other settings, as Vanilla uses the sensor directly.

Launching Vanilla

It's important to switch to the Gamepad action set before launching, because the Desktop action set interferes with Vanilla. For example, the B button is bound to Escape, which tells Vanilla to disconnect. To switch between action sets, long-press the menu button (≡).

Simply open bin/vanilla using the touchscreen. From there, usage should be straightforward. When prompted for a password, tap the text box on the touchscreen and the Plasma virtual keyboard should pop up automatically.