The Story Behind Junk Store
Junk Store began in October 2023 as a personal project born out of frustration. Eben wanted to play his beloved DOS games on Steam Deck with proper Steam Input controller mapping, but no existing solution worked the way he envisioned. As he puts it, "I took matters into my own hands when nothing else worked the way I wanted it to."
We live on a sailboat, and we're just a team of two. Eben brings decades of software development and cybersecurity experience to the project, while Annie handles everything else - marketing, support, content, you name it. Annie had no background in tech when we started, but she's learning as she goes so Eben can focus entirely on development. When there are only two people, you wear a lot of hats!
What started as a simple DOS game launcher has evolved into our vision for a unified launcher for all non-Steam games, fully integrated into Game Mode for a native gaming experience on Steam Deck. We work full-time on Junk Store and have invested over 8,000 hours and counting into making this vision a reality.
The driving philosophy behind everything we build is simple: your handheld deserves a handheld experience. Unlike desktop-first solutions that treat Steam Deck like a mini-PC, every feature in Junk Store is designed to work seamlessly with your controller in Game Mode. We never force you to switch to Desktop Mode because that breaks the magic of what makes Steam Deck special.
Our Development Philosophy
Quality over Quantity: We prioritize solving problems properly rather than rushing features.
Extensible by Design: Built as an "open and extensible launcher framework" that can grow with community needs.
Community-Driven: Every feature comes from real user feedback and actual gaming challenges.
No Compromises: If it requires Desktop Mode, we find a better way.
What Our Users Say
"Junk Store 2.0 gives me access to dozens of games I already own on platforms I rarely use — without all the convoluted workarounds."— Anonymous
"JS allows me the freedom to choose stores with better deals, DRM-free options, or freebies — without sacrificing the joy and simplicity of the Steam Deck."— BadServo
"This is f***ing great and well worth the sub. It’s leagues better than before and blows the Decky Loader version out of the water."— Zer04evr
"It's the perfect Swiss Army knife for my Deck!"— Tiny Tech
"Complexity simplified, with Junkstore I can play all my games from other stores natively and seamlessly on my Steam Deck."— Dio
"With as much going on in the background, the experience is as simple an seamless as ever."— Phil Osyfee
"It's far easier to use and doesn't require restarting after installing a game; it's a far more 'native' experience."— Reddit User
"Junk store is what I use and hands on the best solution for getting epic games onto the deck."— Reddit User
Hear from the Developer
Curious about the story behind Junk Store? Check out these interviews and talks featuring our developer.
Interview with Gardiner Bryant (Video) - June 2025
Click to watch on YouTube
Interview with PerfectDark (Article) - July 2024
Click to read the article