So, you have a shiny new Steam Deck, but what now? Follow these tips to get the best out of the system.

Valve's Steam platform has slowly evolved from humble beginnings to become one of the biggest digital storefronts in all of gaming. The platform houses games of all types, and its accessibility has fostered an untold number of huge breakouts over the years.

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However, that success hasn't always translated to the console space - Valve's first attempt at a Steam-based console, the Steam Machine, flopped. But Valve hasn't given up. Their newest creation, the Steam Deck, looks to translate their PC gaming magic into a portable machine, and its convenient form factor is all kinds of cool. However, if you've got your hands on one, there are a few things you'll have to do after you get it going.

The Steam Deck includes the standard controller setup familiar from most consoles - you have your joysticks, your four alphabetical face buttons, and your shoulder triggers. But the system also includes four rear buttons on the back grips — L4, R4, L5, and R5.

By default, these buttons aren't used in most games, but the Steam Deck allows you to reassign any input onto them manually. For games that ask you swap items quickly, they can really take your game to the next level.

Anticipating the launch of the handheld system, you might have grabbed a few new games on Steam with big plans to play them on your next flight or train journey. However, the Steam Deck's unique form factor means that not every game on Steam will run perfectly on the console.

RELATED: Steam Deck: How To Check If Your Games Are Compatible

Fortunately, Valve certifies games that will work on the system as Deck Verified, and helpfully notes which games are ready to go and which might need a little fiddling in order to work properly. It's a good idea to double-check your library so you don't end up with any surprises.

The Steam Deck's design has earned the system many comparisons to the Switch, and for good reason - the two systems could practically be siblings. Their similarities extend to the two systems' ability to connect to any screen in your house as well.

Steam Deck supports DisplayPort and HDMI inputs, so you have several ways to link it up to other devices. If you're tired of playing your favorite battle royale game on the Steam Deck's small screen, you can easily link the device up to your TV and get your blast on.

The Steam Deck is ridiculously powerful for a handheld system - it's pretty mind-boggling that such a small system can run so many modern games with no issues. But as powerful as it is, the console is still a handheld, and there still had to be some sacrifices made in order to make it functional.

This means that the Steam Deck can't run everything perfectly. But never fear! If you're having trouble running a game natively on the system, you can use its built-in Remote Play functionality to stream a game from your desktop to the Steam Deck. As long as both your Steam Deck and your computer are logged into the same Steam Account and you have a solid Wi-Fi connection, you can run pretty much any game on the system in this way.

The Steam Deck's name and its form factor imply that the console's main use is for gaming — after all, Steam is a gaming platform, and it definitely looks like other gaming systems on the market. But that's not all that your Steam Deck can do for you.

The Steam Deck runs on SteamOS, which is a proprietary version of the Linux operating system Valve has developed specifically for use with their services. Originally, SteamOS was built in the early 2010s and had more limited functionality, but the Steam Deck runs on a version that features full desktop mode — and allows you to install any Linux-compatible software directly onto the system. Heck, you could even use it for... working. (Gasp!)

The Steam Deck comes with storage built into the system by default, but how much depends on which model you purchase. If you go for the entry-level model, the system has a capacity of 64GB, while the mid-tier features 256GB and the highest tier has a whopping 512GB.

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Still, given how many games are available on Steam, it's possible that you'll hit those storage limits at some point. Fortunately, the Steam Deck is compatible with microSD memory cards, with a slot on the bottom of the console. If you want to make sure that you'll always have space for the latest and greatest releases, it's a good idea to grab some extra storage.

The Steam Deck is a handheld console meant to adapt to a non-handheld ecosystem. This means that playing certain games can really tank its battery life and performance, since games aren't optimized directly for the system out of the box. But the system offers a wealth of options to improve performance.

The Steam Deck allows you to set a hard FPS limit in order to preserve battery life, lets you play with different brightness settings, and even lets you adjust graphics settings like resolution and level of detail. These different options will help you get the most out of your shiny new system, so don't be afraid to experiment.

NEXT: Steam Deck Review: Impressive Hardware But An Unapproachable Experience

Leah Isobel is a writer, critic, musician, and actress based in California. Her work has appeared on the Singles Jukebox and Soap Ear Journal. She's been playing video games since she was four years old, and has a particular fondness for RPGs, platformers, and adventure games. You can usually find her in a kitchen somewhere baking pies.