this post was submitted on 03 Jul 2026
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Valve open source the Steam Machine e-ink screen so you can make your own (www.gamingonlinux.com)
submitted 2 days ago by GamingBot@lemmy.zip to c/gaming@lemmy.zip
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[–] tiramichu@sh.itjust.works 1 points 19 hours ago

They're now calling it the "Inkterface" and there's a good few things you'll need to make it including:

  • 1 x Adafruit ESP32 Feather with 2MB PSRAM.
  • 1 x Adafruit eInk Breakout Friend.
  • 1 x Adafruit 5.83" Monochrome eInk Panel.
  • 13 x M2.5 x 5mm Pan Head Machine Screws.
  • 4 x 1/4" x 1/4" x 3/16" Stepped Magnet SB443-OUT.

Funny how these days it's so completely assumed every maker has a 3D printer that it doesn't get mentioned, no more than instructions would mention anything as trivial as needing a screwdriver.

[–] Gladaed@feddit.org 29 points 2 days ago (3 children)

The steam machine has an eink screen?

[–] napoleonsdumbcousin@feddit.org 22 points 2 days ago

While Valve will not be making and providing their own e-ink display for the Steam Machine, they have opened it up so anyone can now do it.

Quite literally the first sentence of the article. No, it has not. But there are now instructions to retrofit it with one.

[–] Orygin@sh.itjust.works 14 points 2 days ago (1 children)

They made a face panel with an e-ink display for their internal testing (display status, temps, speed etc). Said they would not sell it but they released how to make one yourself

[–] Gladaed@feddit.org 2 points 2 days ago

That makes sense, thank you!

[–] Fafa@lemmy.world 15 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Well, it's a convenient ereader, after all. Fits in any pocket.

[–] artyom@piefed.social 16 points 2 days ago

That's cool that they host their own repository. Maintaining their distance from Microsoft I guess haha.

[–] StillAlive@piefed.world 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I know what I'd like to see:

[–] JackFrostNCola@aussie.zone 1 points 1 day ago

And the 'countdown clock' animation for when its booting games or loading in levels. I wouldnt even mind if it randomly scrolled fallout ads while your playing 'sugar bombs', 'radaway', etc.

[–] Hello_there@fedia.io 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Most of the screens you see on modern cases don't have firmware for Linux. So good to see a modern one that does. Would make sense for this to be used on any of the Linux gaming boxes that are around.

[–] Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

Firmware shouldn't care what OS the CPU is running as it's doing its own thing, running on an embedded processor of some sort on the device.

Though it can be used to lock out unapproved software if it needs an encryption key or relies on an undocumented interface they only told their windows driver writers about.

So I'm not saying firmware can't be used to lock linux out from being able to use certain hardware, just don't believe them if they try to play it off as they would need to write a special linux version of the firmware to make it happen; it's a deliberate lockout either via encryption or by making the information needed to implement it proprietary.

Though at least the latter case could be reverse engineered, especially if you can sniff the bus traffic.

[–] WhoIzDisIz@lemmy.today 4 points 2 days ago

May as well open it - I doubt the SM will be doing massive sales at current prices, so even fewer would have sprung for this add-on. Opening it up is at least good PR/marketing.

[–] anguo@piefed.ca 4 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Why does the one on the picture look backlit?

[–] Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

You have to be a member of the secret photographer society before they'll tell you. They are a secretive and judgmental bunch, saying things like "Hey! Get out of the frame, this is a professional photo shoot, not a photography tutorial. How did you even get in this studio? How would you like it if I randomly showed up at your job asking why you did the things you were doing?"

Turns out that last question is not a request for an info dump about my job.

[–] ramble81@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Can’t you get backlit e-ink displays? Don’t kindles have them?

[–] anguo@piefed.ca 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Yes, e-readers nowadays have a "frontlight", a fiber optic mesh overlaid on top of the display. But the list of materials they provide doesn't have anything that would provide this light.

[–] Martineski@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Well, technically eink displays don't have backlight but frontlight.

[–] anguo@piefed.ca 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Don't know why you're getting down voted for this, you're technically correct, the best kind of correct!

[–] variaatio@nord.pub 2 points 2 days ago

intensive studio lighting? e-ink is reflective so good enough front light makes them surprisingly bright.

[–] Hello_there@fedia.io 1 points 2 days ago

I don't know much about electronic components. This is a diy kit with a esp32 board in it. Could you reflash with valve firmware and have it just work? Or would different aspect ratio of screen mean a slight change to a config or full reworking?

https://www.seeedstudio.com/TRMNL-7-5-Inch-OG-DIY-Kit-p-6481.html

[–] hoohoohoot@fedinsfw.app 1 points 2 days ago

Awwww thanks