This free plugin will enhance the visual quality of games on your Steam Deck.

      Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

      A modder known as SnooOranges3876 has developed a plugin for Steam Deck titles that enables players to adjust graphics settings in real-time, enhancing both appearance and performance, and the best part is that it's free and user-friendly. Named LetMeReShade, this plugin provides the ability to modify illumination, contrast, colors, and more on-the-fly, making it particularly useful for older titles as well.

      The plugin can be downloaded from GitHub. It avoids the often complex installation processes associated with ReShade mods, allowing players to quickly apply these mods to their games. In a demonstration video, SnooOranges3876 showcases changing shaders in Cyberpunk 2077 and Heavy Rain, with potential options including titles like Alan Wake and Monster Sanctuary.

      LetMeReShade - A Decky Loader plugin for injecting ReShade into your Steam games.

      When asked about the plugin's benefits, SnooOranges3876 explained, “ReShade improves game visuals by incorporating post-processing effects such as enhanced colors, contrast, sharpening, ambient occlusion, and global illumination. It also enables real-time customization via an overlay UI, allowing players to adjust settings or apply community presets. While primarily for visual enhancements, it can also offer performance optimizations like adaptive sharpening.”

      Once the plugin is installed, players can access an in-game overlay to enable or disable various settings with just a few clicks. However, it’s important to note that using this plugin will impact performance in most games. Users on the subreddit recommended choosing a game that easily runs at 60 frames per second on high settings, then locking it at 40fps after enabling the plugin.

      The Steam Deck’s popularity continues to rise, even with competitive devices like the ROG Ally entering the market, largely due to community support for unofficial mods like this one. Although LetMeReShade isn't listed in the official Deck Loader plugin catalog, it can still be manually obtained and installed through GitHub.

      Patrick Hearn writes about smart home technology such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, smart light bulbs, and more. If it's a…

      Use your Christmas money to buy these games in the Steam Winter Sale

      So, it’s Christmas Day. You’ve opened all your gifts, and now you have a collection of gift cards or some extra cash from a well-meaning uncle who never knows what to get you. How should you spend it? Allow me, as Digital Trends' senior gaming editor, to encourage you to invest in some PC games.

      The Steam Winter Sale is currently active and runs until January 2, 2025. As always, it offers significant discounts on some of the year’s top games (and many others as well). If you've been holding off on purchasing games this year in hopes of a discount, now is your chance. To help you navigate the offers, I've compiled some of the best deals available in this year's sale. I’m focusing on games released in 2024 to help expand your backlog, but know there are plenty more deals to discover this year.

      Star Wars: Squadrons is the most overlooked Star Wars video game released since Disney took over Lucasfilm, and it’s available for just $2 during this Steam sale. It’s the perfect opportunity to grab it.

      December has always felt like a month for Star Wars to me. I have cherished memories of receiving games like 2005's Star Wars: Battlefront II or Star Wars: The Force Unleashed on Christmas as a child. Disney typically releases new Star Wars films in theaters or streams TV shows on Disney+ during this month. Currently, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is streaming on Disney+, and its charming, Goonies-like atmosphere resonates with me more than any Star Wars series has since the first season of The Mandalorian.

      I’m a Steam Deck supporter. Here’s why I’ve been using the ROG Ally instead

      Since its debut, I have been a bit of a Steam Deck supporter. It doesn’t necessarily need my endorsement, as the Steam Deck is undoubtedly the best handheld gaming PC available. However, despite the competition from the ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and MSI Claw, I continue to use my Steam Deck for mobile gaming. That said, a couple of applications have gradually changed my perspective.

      I enjoy gaming on my Steam Deck OLED for its convenience. SteamOS isn’t flawless, but it lets me pick up and play my games swiftly, a priority for me over the enhanced performance of Windows handhelds. With a few key adjustments to the Windows experience, that quick access can be achieved, and since I’ve set up the ROG Ally correctly, I've increasingly been using it for handheld gaming.