Cyberdeck
Type of personal mobile computing device
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.[1][2] These devices are typically individually crafted, powered by single-board computers (SBCs), such as Raspberry Pis, and include a display and keyboard.[3][4][5]
Terminology
The term cyberdeck first appeared in William Gibson's 1984 novel Neuromancer, being the shortened form of "cyberspace deck". Since the term's appearance in Gibson's Sprawl trilogy, 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,[6] as well as in the science fantasy TTRPG Shadowrun.[7]
Individuals who create or utilize cyberdecks are known as deckers.[8][9]
A cyberdeck created specifically for writing is known as a writerdeck.[10]
History
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,[3] for radio frequency surveillance,[3] for cybersecurity work,[4] or for hacking satellites.[11] Alternatively, some cyberdecks appear to be created for purely aesthetic purposes,[4] such as to mirror the appearance of devices in the Alien franchise.[12]