{{Short description|Type of personal mobile computing device}}
[[File:Framedeck framework logo.jpg|thumb|Framedeck, a Framework mainboard based cyberdeck with clear acrylic and brass influenced by TRS-80 Model 100.]] [[File:Mainboard-terminal-heroshot.jpg|thumb|Mainboard Terminal, a retro-style round display PC that uses the Framework's mainboard with Ubuntu.]]
A '''cyberdeck''' or '''cyber deck''' is a custom-built, portable personal computer, often one designed for a particular individualized purpose and usually with a cyberpunk aesthetic.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dodds |first=Claire |title=What Is a ‘Cyberdeck’: Meet Gen Z’s New DIY Obsession |url=https://www.newsweek.com/what-is-a-cyberdeck-gen-zs-new-custom-computing-obsession-11787017|website=Newsweek}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-03-11 |title=Rabbit's Cyberdeck is a modern take on a netbook |url=https://www.engadget.com/ai/rabbits-cyberdeck-is-a-modern-take-on-a-netbook-151907273.html |access-date=2026-04-09 |website=Engadget |language=en-US}}</ref> These devices are typically individually crafted, powered by single-board computers (SBCs), such as Raspberry Pis, and include a display and keyboard.<ref name="howtogeek" /><ref name="hutcheon">{{cite thesis |last=Hutcheon |first=Andrew Leighton |date=March 2025 |title=The Things of the Internet: Participatory Object Culture and the Maker Movement |url=https://doi.org/10.25439/rmt.29928032 |degree=PhD |location=RMIT University |publisher= |access-date=2026-01-28 |pages=4,11,18,66,152}}</ref><ref name="acer">{{cite web |last=Odley |first=Jeni |title=What is a Cyberdeck? |url=https://blog.acer.com/en/discussion/1113/what-is-a-cyberdeck |website=Acer Corner |access-date=2026-01-26 |date=2025-12-11}}</ref>
== Terminology == The term "cyberdeck" is a shortened form of "cyberspace deck", which first appeared in William Gibson's 1984 novel ''Neuromancer''. It has become shorthand across multiple forms of cyberpunk media for a personal mobile computing device used to enter cyberspace in some form or fashion. For example, cyberdecks (often shortened to decks) appear throughout the ''Cyberpunk'' table-top roleplaying (TTRPG) series and the video game series it subsequently spawned,<ref name="screenrant">{{cite web |last=Lambertsen |first=Carrie |title=Every Cyberdeck in Cyberpunk 2077, Ranked |url=https://screenrant.com/cyberpunk-2077-every-cyberdeck-ranked/ |website=Screen Rant |access-date=2026-01-26 |date=2024-01-14}}</ref> as well as in the science fantasy TTRPG ''Shadowrun''.<ref name="shadowrun">{{cite book |last=Cameron |first=Hamish |date=2019-11-27 |title=The Routledge Companion to Cyberpunk Culture |url=https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351139885 |location=New York |publisher=Routledge |page= |isbn=9781351139885 |access-date=2026-02-03 |editor-last1=McFarlane |editor-first1=Anna |editor-last2=Schmeink |editor-first2=Lars |editor-last3=Murphy |editor-first3=Graham |chapter=Shadowrun (Case Study)}}</ref>
Individuals who create or utilize cyberdecks are known as deckers.<ref name="cybersecurity">{{cite book |last=Nielson |first=Seth James |date=2023-08-11 |title=Discovering Cybersecurity |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-9560-1_8 |location=Berkeley, CA |publisher=Apress |isbn=9781484295601 |access-date=2026-02-03 |chapter=Classical Network Security Technology}}</ref><ref name="hackster">{{cite web |last=Coward |first=Cameron |title=Sendai7 Is a Cyberdeck Purpose-Built for WiFi Pentesting |url=https://www.hackster.io/news/sendai7-is-a-cyberdeck-purpose-built-for-wifi-pentesting-c7c32e50525d |website=Hackster.io |access-date=2026-02-03 |date=2020-07-06}}</ref>
A cyberdeck created specifically for writing is known as a writerdeck.<ref name="hackaday-contest" />
== History == In 2022, Hackaday.io ran its first Cyberdeck Contest, leading to individuals submitting more than 100 such creations.<ref name="hackaday-contest">{{cite web |last=Nardi |first=Tom |title=2022 Cyberdeck Contest: Picking The Best Of The Best |url=https://hackaday.com/2022/10/13/2022-cyberdeck-contest-picking-the-best-of-the-best/ |website=Hackaday.io |access-date=2026-01-26 |date=2022-10-13}}</ref> They would run a second such contest in 2023.<ref name="hackaday-contest" />
== Applications == Given the personalized nature of cyberdecks, they are often created to fulfill specific, individualized use cases. Such computers have been created for the preservation of knowledge in a post-apocalyptic scenario,<ref name="howtogeek">{{cite web |last=Butler |first=Sydney |title=Building Cyberdecks Is the Geek Hobby You Need to Check Out |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/building-cyberdecks-is-the-geek-hobby-you-need-to-check-out/ |website=How-To Geek |access-date=2026-01-26 |date=2025-03-06}}</ref> for radio frequency surveillance,<ref name="howtogeek"></ref> for cybersecurity work,<ref name="hutcheon" /> or for hacking satellites.<ref name="hacksterio">{{cite web |last=Coward |first=Cameron |title=A Cyberdeck Built for Hacking Satellites |url=https://www.hackster.io/news/a-cyberdeck-built-for-hacking-satellites-a4bb1a51e0b4 |website=How-To Geek |access-date=2026-01-26 |date=2024-06-17}}</ref> Alternatively, some cyberdecks appear to be created for purely aesthetic purposes,<ref name="hutcheon" /> such as to mirror the appearance of devices in the ''Alien'' franchise.<ref>{{cite web |last=Butler |first=Sydney |title=Alien fan builds a better Raspberry Pi cyberdeck — The MU/TH/UR of all homages to a classic movie series |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/raspberry-pi/alien-fan-builds-a-better-raspberry-pi-cyberdeck-the-mu-th-ur-of-all-homages-to-a-classic-movie-series |website=Tom's Hardware |access-date=2026-01-28 |date=2026-01-22}} </ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
Category:Classes of computers Category:Portable computers Category:Cyberpunk