Steam games you can pop in: Reddit user converts old SSDs into modules
A Reddit user is giving his digital Steam library a physical form. To do this, he fits second-hand SSDs into casings he has designed himself, adds custom covers to them, and plugs them into a docking station on his PC to play games.
These days, PC games usually don’t require a physical disc. You buy them from a digital shop, download them and launch them via a library. Reddit user Jibril-sama is reversing this trend, at least visually: He has transformed second-hand SSDs into colourful game cartridges reminiscent of classic console cartridges.
In a video on Reddit, he shows several cartridges with their own casings and large-scale designs featuring the games stored on them. To launch a title, he slides the relevant cartridge into a docking station next to his computer. Shortly afterwards, the system recognises the cartridge and opens the game on Steam or launches it directly.
The game is actually stored on the SSD
Jibril-sama installs the games directly onto second-hand 2.5-inch SATA SSDs. Most of the drives offer 128 gigabytes of storage capacity. Some of his existing SSDs have a capacity of 256 gigabytes.
According to him, he bought the smaller drives secondhand for around seven euros each. They came from a supplier offering a large batch of decommissioned SSDs. Buying a separate SSD for each game at standard retail prices would be significantly more expensive.
The connection to the computer is handled by a standard USB 3.0-to-SATA adapter, which Jibril-sama has integrated into a docking station he built himself. The coloured casings and guides were produced on a 3D printer. Finally, decals applied to the covers transform the plain drives into little collector’s items.
Source: Jibril-sama / Reddit
A script connects the SSD to Steam
The system shown in the video runs on Linux. As soon as Jibril-sama inserts a cartridge, a so-called Udev rule recognises the newly connected storage device. Systemd then starts a service that searches the SSD for a script and executes it.
The script uses Steam’s URL protocol. This allows it to open the library page for the installed game or launch the title immediately. The process therefore works in a similar way to a traditional console: insert the cartridge, wait a moment, and play.
Jibril-sama has now also published the programme code and the files for 3D printing. As well as a Linux version, there is also a Windows version. However, according to the developer, he has only tested the latter on an older installation of Windows 10. He therefore cannot guarantee that the code will work on every system without modifications.
The concept also works with more than just SATA SSDs. According to Jibril-sama, USB sticks as well as SD and micro-SD cards can also be used.
Updates and licences remain digital
The system does not work entirely without Steam. Although the SSDs contain the installed game files, you still need the client, a valid licence and, depending on the game, an internet connection. Steam also downloads updates to the connected drive as usual.
Jibril-sama therefore uses the modules primarily for older games that he occasionally wants to play again. Live-service titles with frequent or particularly extensive updates are less well suited to this concept. Furthermore, the SSD does not turn a digital licence into an independent and permanently available physical game.
The appeal therefore lies primarily in the tactile experience: you select a module from the shelf, insert it and use it to launch a specific game. The system gives the invisible Steam library a physical ritual. At the same time, second-hand SATA SSDs – whose limited capacity is now barely sufficient for many current applications – are given a new purpose.
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