# Decky Loader plugins replace Steam Deck UI with PS5 and Xbox Series dashboards

> **Key takeaway:** Two open-source Decky Loader plugins completely replace the Steam Deck's stock Steam UI with functional recreations of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S home screen interfaces, including game info cards with HowLongToBeat integration and system-wide color theming.

**Published:** 2026-10-31T17:23:52+00:00 
**Source:** TechPowerUp 
**Category:** open-hardware 
**Canonical URL:** https://fosswire.org/news/decky-loader-plugins-replace-steam-deck-ui-with-ps5-and-xbox.html 

## Summary
A pair of new Decky Loader plugins, decky-ps5-dashboard and decky-xbox-dashboard, allow Steam Deck owners to replace Valve's default Steam interface with layouts modeled after the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles. Both plugins are freely available on GitHub from user kromossomom-debug, who identifies as an AI user rather than a developer and lists Claude as a contributor, indicating heavy reliance on AI-assisted coding.

The PS5 Dashboard plugin replicates Sony's rounded visual style with square game tiles, dynamic screenshot backgrounds, and info cards displaying HowLongToBeat data, user playtime, review scores, achievements, and install size. It also adds a Media tab navigable via L1/R1 shoulder buttons and applies the PS5 color scheme across system menus. The Xbox Dashboard plugin implements Microsoft's tabbed layout with interactive game cards, customizable home screen pinning, reduced animation support, and Xbox color theming throughout the interface.

## Decky Loader plugin architecture and UI replacement mechanics
- **Decky Loader framework:** Both plugins operate within the Decky Loader ecosystem, a third-party plugin framework for Steam Deck that enables deep UI modification without altering SteamOS system files directly.
- **PS5 Dashboard features:** Implements square game tiles, dynamic background screenshots from highlighted titles, L1/R1-navigated Media tab, and info cards aggregating HowLongToBeat estimates, playtime, review scores, achievements, and storage footprint.
- **Xbox Dashboard customization:** Supports user-configurable home screen with add/remove and pin functionality, respects SteamOS "reduced animations" accessibility setting, and applies Xbox color scheme across all system UI elements.
- **AI-assisted development:** Project lead kromossomom-debug explicitly does not identify as a developer; Claude is listed as a contributor, marking this as a prominent example of "vibe-coded" open-source software in the gaming space.
- **GitHub distribution model:** Both projects are hosted as public repositories on GitHub under the same maintainer, distributed free of charge without storefront or proprietary packaging.

## Why it matters
These plugins demonstrate the practical extent of Steam Deck's open-platform design, where Valve's decision to allow third-party modification enables user-driven interface experimentation that closed consoles cannot match. For Linux gaming broadly, they highlight Decky Loader's maturity as a distribution mechanism for community UI innovation, though the AI-coded nature of the projects raises questions about long-term maintenance and code quality that the open-source community will need to evaluate as similar tools proliferate.