DIY gamer fights digital-only trend with custom Steam cartridges made from SSDs

In a creative rebuke to the industry's shift toward all-digital libraries, a Reddit user has built a system that turns external SSDs into functional game cartridges for Steam. The project uses a script to automatically mount an SSD, launch Steam in Big Picture Mode, and present a curated library of games, mimicking the physical media experience.

Polygon reported that the setup is designed to mimic the experience of physical game cartridges, with the creator aiming to preserve a sense of ownership. The technical implementation is relatively straightforward, relying on a script to handle the mounting and boot sequence.

"The creator's goal is to preserve the feeling of owning physical media in an increasingly all-digital gaming landscape." This sentiment resonates with a growing number of gamers concerned about digital ownership, where games can be delisted or lost if accounts are compromised.

"One gamer is rallying against the death of physical media" T3 framed the effort as a personal stand against the industry's abandonment of discs and cartridges, a push that taps into nostalgia for the tangible days of PC gaming when boxes and manuals were the norm.

T3One gamer is rallying against the death of physical media, and turning Steam PC games into working cartridges

According to Xploitwire, the system offers a nostalgic alternative to modern digital-only libraries, while PakGamersHub noted that many gamers still dream of a time when PC games came in physical cartridges, just like the good old days of console gaming. The community reaction on Reddit has been largely positive, with many praising the ingenuity and discussing their own fears about an all-digital future.

2 sources

XploitwireSteam Hobbyist Builds Physical Game MediaPakGamersHubForget Digital! This Gamer Built Custom Physical Cartridges for Their Steam Library!