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Ever since the Steam Deck was announced, eager soon-to-be owners of the portable PC device were curious as to what exactly was inside the machine, and if they might be able to replace some of the parts themselves. Valve has fortunately given some answers to those questions, through a new video they uploaded, giving us a look at what's inside the Steam Deck, through a teardown. It should be noted that while they have provided a tutorial on how to take the Steam Deck apart, and that owners absolutely have the right to do so, they advise that you don't actually open it up. That's because, according to Valve, much like a PC, it's easy to fry components with static electricity, and that interestingly, opening up the device will cause it to permanently be less drop resistant, adding that there is no way to prevent that from happening.

From there, the video details how to replace the thumbstick and SSD. They also warn users to be very careful about replacing the storage in the Steam Deck; not only can certain drives cause overheating issues or worse battery life, but the specific SSD inside the Steam Deck is also designed to not cause interference with the wireless and Bluetooth modules inside. The tightly-packed Steam Deck can have its m.2 drive swapped out, but it appears to be an intricate process, and Valve states to just use the micro SD card slot if you want more room for games. Either way, the video provides an interesting look at the build of the upcoming Steam Deck.

 

[Julie_Pilgrim]

Even in the video they say we can do whatever we want. That is frickin awesome.

they spend 5 mintues going "dont do this"

 

[The Real Jdbye]

No teardown is complete without close ups of the board. This just doesn't cut it for me. They don't even show the other side. But at least they put some useful warnings in there, those are all valid points. It's probably not likely that you'll damage the battery from taking it apart, but lipo fires are no joking matter indeed, they burn ferociously and can't be put out with standard fire extinguishers.
I like that they'll be providing replacement sticks. Maybe they learned their lesson from the Valve Index knuckles. They still don't provide replacement sticks for the knuckles though. And the ones from AliExpress only last a few weeks.

ill just input that if you are considering the expensive model for the anti-glare screen and not the preinstalled built in nvme storage, that there will likely be 3rd party anti-glare tempered glass screen protectors for the device, so it specifically isn't that much of a gain.

Probably just an anti glare coating though and not etched into the glass like Valve did it, that seems to be a rather unique feature (and complicated to manufacture)
But I suppose that's not a big deal as if the anti glare coating gets worn or damaged you can simply replace the screen protector.
Just avoid matte screen protectors, they are awful.

 

[leerpsp]

they spend 5 mintues going "dont do this"

but most of us including me will be doing just that.

 

[Julie_Pilgrim]

but most of us including me will be doing just that.

but you could *shuffles cards* break the system

 

[leerpsp]

but you could *shuffles cards* break the system

no way that, how this is put together is way to easy for me to play around with on the inside without breaking it.

 

[Julie_Pilgrim]

no way that, how this is put together is way to easy for me to play around with on the inside without breaking it.

yes, hence my sarcasm

 

[MarkDarkness]

Valve <3

 

[ZeroFX]

Nice to see this, this device seems promising, thanks lord gaben.

 

[lordelan]

Honestly I've never been so hyped for a device!

 

[Clydefrosch]

Lol starting off with some very heavy lies, static electricity is almost impossible to cause real damage and damaging batteries takes a special kind of moron too.

Sticks and drives shouldn't break much, what about charge ports and the screen? And microns port?

 

[ertaboy356b]

Great stuff. The only thing I dislike about the steam deck is that it's not available in my country. So I can't even buy this stuff here.

 

[_Snow_]

I have to say I appreciate the video, but I can only imagine a year or so after use, how that little fan will clog up with dust. So I think if I ever get one, I might put some sort of thin filter in front of the air intake. Something thin enough not to block air flow, but definitely to keep the larger particles out.

 

[LightyKD]

I’ve said this elsewhere, but now the issue I have is deciding whether to stick with the 512GB model or get the 64GB and a 1TB SSD.

If you're already in line, best thing to do is keep your place. There is no guarantee that switching models will net you a Steam Deck around the same time.

 

[gamesquest1]

I see they are being open and just embracing the fact people can and will replace the drive, so they decided to avoid people following dodgy tutorials or rushing in blind then trying to RMA it they would just do their own tutorial

as for all the fear mongering.....idk I understand wanting to scare off the typical
Owner: "I replaced my drive and now for some reason it doesn't work and valve refused to fix it "
Forum member: "cool share a picture and we can see what's up"
Owner: "THERE IS NO POINT I DID IT PERFECT ITS VALVES FAULT THEY SENT ME A DODGY UNIT"
Forum member "Ok but maybe just have a second set of eyes on it just incase"
Owner : "NO! I DID NOTHING WRONG"
Forum members : "Ok well we can't help"
Owner : "FINE! HERES A PICTURE

Spoiler

and telling them to hand it to a experienced person to do the upgrade, less dead steam decks and less work for their RMA team

 

[Medveitsi]

I’ve said this elsewhere, but now the issue I have is deciding whether to stick with the 512GB model or get the 64GB and a 1TB SSD.

64gb model uses emmc

 

[tech3475]

64gb model uses emmc

I know, but to quote Valve:

All models use socketed 2230 m.2 modules (not intended for end-user replacement)

So in theory, you could get the 64GB model and upgrade it.

If you're already in line, best thing to do is keep your place. There is no guarantee that switching models will net you a Steam Deck around the same time.

I know, although currently it’s still showing as Q2. Thinking about it, I could also use my mum’s Steam account.

 

[RAHelllord]

No teardown is complete without close ups of the board. This just doesn't cut it for me. They don't even show the other side. But at least they put some useful warnings in there, those are all valid points. It's probably not likely that you'll damage the battery from taking it apart, but lipo fires are no joking matter indeed, they burn ferociously and can't be put out with standard fire extinguishers.
I like that they'll be providing replacement sticks. Maybe they learned their lesson from the Valve Index knuckles. They still don't provide replacement sticks for the knuckles though. And the ones from AliExpress only last a few weeks.

That probably wouldn't have been worthwhile due to the fact that that is a pre-production unit which, supposedly, differs in a few areas from the retail products. Maybe we'll get some shots of the retail units closer to launch, though.

 

[NyaakoXD]

While I won't be getting one at all, it's pretty neat to see how much stuff it has in such a small case.

 

[Veho]

I'm a big fan of Valve's tone--and the fact that they're openly offering a tutorial to do this stuff because people have wanted to know. Even if it seems like a huge pain to do.

Call me cynical but it seems to me the "huge pain" is the whole point of the video. "Hello everyone who plans on buying the cheapest model and then upgrading the disk: it is possible, but it's a huge pain, voids all the warranties, and your deck could explode. Buy the bigger model."

 

[Happy1337]

Really looking forward to this <3