I have been looking for more ways to enjoy my Steam deck, and with how great it is at emulating arcade games, I decided to design a fight stick specifically for the steam deck. For this project, I decided to try to keep the controller low cost so I used some cheap MDF from Home Depot for the box, and for the controls I used a $50 kit off amazon.

Supplies

I used the following components:

2 Player Arcade Control Kit - $45

Anker USB C Hub - $35

Home Depot 1/4in MDF 2ft x 4ft - $15

Stainless Steel Small Hinges (Optional) - $9

Any Wood glue

Total Cost - $104

Step 1: Design Arcade Box in Fusion 360

First, I designed the arcade box in Fusion 360 and imported a scaled image from Slagcoin.com of the control layout which I then traced onto the box and made holes. The 3D design is attached below however I didn't create dxf files for laser cutting because I made the arcade box by hand. I then created a quick sketch of all of the panels to ensure that one piece of 4x8 MDF would fit all 12 pieces that I needed.

Step 2: Cut Out Panels and Assemble

Next, I cut the MDF to size for each of the panels with a jigsaw, then used a dremel to cut out the holes for the buttons by using a template I drew on. I strongly recommend using a holesaw as this will save you a ton of time and make the holes way cleaner. I then used nails to align the mdf but this split the panels so I recommend using wood glue and clamping it but I was on a time crunch so I just used nails. Then, drop the buttons into the holes and screw on the bottom pieces, connect all the buttons and joystick with the ribbon cables and attach the top with cabinet hinges or wood glue.

Step 3: Connect to Usb Hub and Configure

Finally, connect the arcade controller to the usb hub and the steam deck, then go into the steam deck settings and configure the buttons and joystick to your liking. Now that you are all done, hop into a game and enjoy your steam deck arcade experience.