Mini AirHockey

Mini AirHockey released in full on Steam on June 24, 2026, from solo developer Geert Verhoeff, a two-player local game that turns an undocked Steam Deck into a literal, physical air hockey table, using its two trackpads as paddle controllers for players sitting across from each other. The game runs exclusively on undocked Steam Deck hardware, a deliberate design constraint rather than an oversight. Its 21-review English pool sits at Positive (20 up, 1 down, 95%), and the reviews describe an unusually charming, low-stakes novelty that reliably delivers on its narrow, specific premise while showing some clear early rough edges.

The core trackpad conceit draws the pool's most consistent and enthusiastic praise, with reviewers repeatedly framing it as an inventive, well-executed use of hardware most Deck owners rarely touch. One reviewer called it "a cute little game that leverages the track pads for puck propelling pleasure," while another simply called it "such a simple but surprisingly perfect game for the steam deck," adding they "played a couple of rounds with my fiancée and we're hooked." A third reviewer praised the "great use of SD pads" directly, and a fourth summarized the appeal plainly: "yepp, does exactly what it says on the tin. Its quite fun." That combination, a familiar physical activity mapped cleverly onto an underused piece of hardware, is clearly the game's biggest selling point and the thing reviewers reach for first when describing it.

Presentation earned its own specific, repeated praise well beyond what a $1 novelty title typically draws. One reviewer specifically highlighted that "the developer hand painted it," calling that detail out as a standout touch, while another went further, half-jokingly calling it "GOTY honestly," adding "artwork is incredible, gameplay is magnificent." The low price is treated across nearly the entire pool not as a separate selling point but as the thing that makes trying it a non-decision. One reviewer wrote plainly, "it's only a $1, stop reading reviews and just buy it," while another called it "fun and creative, can't beat the price." Several reviewers specifically described buying it on a whim after seeing the price and being instantly won over once they and a partner or friend sat down to play.

Sensitivity and control tuning form the pool's clearest, most consistently corroborated area for improvement. One detailed reviewer suggested the developer "add sensitivity options to adjust puck movement and trackpads sensitivity," a request echoed almost word-for-word by a second reviewer who asked for "a velocity slider for the puck" because "sometimes it is so fast you can't even see it, nor hit it." A third reviewer described the practical consequence directly: "we were scoring a crazy number of own goals due to tiny little twitches becoming huge sweeps of the paddles." That same detailed first reviewer also flagged a specific behavior quirk, lifting a finger off the trackpad resets the paddle to center rather than holding its position, which a second reviewer independently asked to have changed as well. Three independent reviewers converging on the same missing setting is a strong enough pattern to flag as a real, addressable gap rather than a one-off preference.

A puck-vanishing bug and, in one case, more serious performance trouble were the pool's other concrete technical complaints. One reviewer wrote that "the bug where the puck vanishes does kill the mood in that moment," hoping it would be patched in an update, while a more severe report described the game as "freezing or dropping to like a frame per second," adding pointedly that "the only settings are changing the language, so i can't change the sensitivity or optimize it or anything," the pool's sole negative review. That combination, no tuning options plus at least one serious performance report, suggests the settings gap isn't just a missed quality-of-life feature but is directly tied to at least one player's inability to troubleshoot a broken session.

Worth noting directly: the developer appears to be actively responsive to this early feedback. One of the pool's most detailed reviewers added an edit to their own review noting "developer already adjusted the table sizing and added scoring mechanics for a win," confirming that the initial lack of a formal win condition, itself flagged by that same reviewer as a suggestion rather than a complaint, was addressed quickly after launch. That kind of visible, fast post-launch iteration is a meaningful signal for a cheap novelty title from a solo developer, and it lines up with the overall tone of the pool, specific, constructive requests rather than frustration, from players who clearly want to keep playing it.

The game's appeal to non-gamers came up repeatedly and consistently enough to be worth its own note, since it speaks directly to the audience this kind of Steam Deck novelty is actually built for. One reviewer wrote it was "great for two people sitting idle," thanking the developer for the "great initiative," while another said their "non gaming wife got bored shortly after" despite enjoying the trackpad gimmick at first, a rare mildly mixed data point buried inside an otherwise glowing review. A third reviewer specifically framed it as "great for travels," and a fourth called it "a brilliant little game to play with the family." That range, from instantly winning over a skeptical partner to only briefly holding a non-gamer's attention, suggests the game's appeal is real but leans heavily on having the right company and the right short window of time rather than being a session players will return to solo.

Taken together, Mini AirHockey is exactly what it advertises: a clever, charming, extremely cheap two-player novelty that turns a piece of hardware most Steam Deck owners never think about into a genuinely fun physical party trick. Its lack of sensitivity controls and occasional bugs are real, well-corroborated rough edges rather than dealbreakers, and its platform restriction means the vast majority of players simply can't access it at all. But for the Steam Deck owners it's built for, at well under a dollar, it's an easy, low-risk recommendation for anyone who wants a quick, silly reason to sit across from a friend or family member.