Seeing the number of YouTube posts I'm sharing these days (and those still to come), it's no secret that I'm currently playing around with Google's video service. We may like it more or less, but we find everything there. Recently, even I created an app with Vibe Coding which I'm quite liking, but for the Steam Deck there's something better, and its name is Vacuum Tube.
Out of curiosity, this week I looked at Flathub for some YouTube clients, whether to watch videos directly or related to the platform or others that rely on Invidious. One of the programs I looked at was VacuumTube, and I didn't find much use in it, partly because the video quality was limited to 360p or something like that. I don't know if I was confused or something, because today I saw an article at GamingOnLinuxI tried it again and the experience was totally different.
VacuumTube offers the YouTube TV interface
What makes VacuumTube the best option for watching YouTube on the Steam Deck? The same thing that makes it a good choice on a big screen: It is easy to control with the buttons on a remote controlThe interface is designed to be usable with the navigation keys/wheel on a controller/D-pad, in addition to the action and back buttons. On the Steam Deck, you can navigate with:
- D-pad: up, down, left, and right. The left analog stick does the same.
- A: Action, such as selecting or hitting play. The option buttons, located above the sticks, would act in the same way.
- B: back.
- Y: will bring up the menu, also known as OSD.
- X: Bring up search and keyboard.
- Right and left triggers: back and forward; moves the slider.
- R1 and R2: Skip to the next video, if there is one.
The YouTube TV interface is the same as the one we find in TV apps, but with a little surprise.
Integrated ad blocker
Vacuum Tube does not show any type of advertising, neither before nor during playback. It's like using the best app created by Google with all the benefits of YouTube Premium.
We must clarify that It is an unofficial application, and also address the issue of privacy. Even if you use blockers, using a Google service isn't the most private option in the world, and even less so if you log in with an account. If privacy is a priority, VacuumTube isn't the best option, but neither is the Kodi add-on I like so much.
How it behaves compared to other options
For me, the best options for watching YouTube on Linux so far have been youtube.com, FreeTube, and Kodi with the official add-on. Compared to VacuumTube:
- youtube.com: It depends a bit on whether you use it with or without a blocker. Using it as is is a terrible experience. Every time you change videos, they show one or two ads, making it impossible to enjoy anything. If you use a blocker and don't take further measures, we give Google all the information about what you watch and other cookies that may interact with YouTube. You can watch everything without interruptions or restrictions imposed on third-party services, of course.
- FreeTube: It uses Invidious, and that's good for privacy, but not so much for other things. For example, you can't watch videos not recommended for children, and it occasionally crashes due to some Google tweak. On the other hand, the interface isn't the prettiest in the world. On the Steam Deck, you have to configure the touchpads and triggers to work for it to be halfway decent.
- Kodi with the official add-on: Privacy is better than YouTube.com because browser cookies aren't shared, but Google knows everything we see if we log in. It doesn't show ads, which is why I like it so much. But on the Steam Deck, sometimes you pause a video and leave it in the background, play something, and it starts playing, which isn't ideal if you were watching a guide or cheat.
VacuumTube is (almost) perfect for Steam Deck
The only downside to VacuumTube is the privacy issue, as long as we log in. For everything else, and after extensive testing, it's undoubtedly the best option we can use on the Steam Deck in Game Mode: a polished interface brought to you by Google, with no ads and perfect controls for a controller. As if all that weren't enough, and unlike Kodi, it doesn't launch when running in the background. If you were looking for the best YouTube app for your Deck, this is VacuumTube.