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Have you ever played a game with a pedal bike where you have to mash the A Button relentlessly in order to keep pedaling? Well, if you're lucky enough to own both a Steam Deck (or any Linux device) and a Bike Trainer, then you can now use the Deck de France app, made by sukolupo on GitHub, to control your games while pedaling in real life!

Deck de France Steam Deck App
Image: sukolupo

In short, the app creates a virtual Xbox 360 gamepad on your Steam Deck, which can then receive input from a variety of bike trainers from popular companies like Tacx, Elite, and Garmin. Originally it was designed so you could play the Tour de France games with a real training bike instead of just a gamepad, but the inputs are recognized in all games, so provided you configure it correctly, you could just as easily be pedaling a bike (or accelerating a car) in GTA V.

This is a bit of a novel one, but it's interesting to see what people are coming up with, and if you are into your virtual biking, this could help you take it up to the next level.

Currently, the program is compatible with Tour de France 2023-2025, Rocket League, Forza Horizon, American/Euro Truck Simulator, Grand Theft Auto 5, Cyberpunk 2077, and any other racing or driving game. And right now, any smart trainer that broadcasts Cycling Power Service over Bluetooth Low Energy is compatible. These include Tacx, Elite, Wahoo, Zwift Hub, CycleOps, Garmin, Magene, and Power Meters.

Obviously, pedaling itself is only one input, so if you do want to fully play most games, you'll need a gamepad as well, but there's no reason why you couldn't map specific inputs to your pedaling alongside your gamepad.

If you enjoyed this article, check out the rest of the content on SteamDeckHQ! We have a wide variety of game reviews and news that will help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for news, tips and tutorials, game settings and reviews, or just want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, we've got you covered!

Oliver Stogden
Oliver began playing video games at an early age, starting with the SNES console and Commodore Amiga computer. Nowadays, his interest is in the future of portable technology, such as handheld gaming systems, portable power stations/banks, and portable monitors. And seeing just how far we can push these devices.
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