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Steam Deck teardown video suggests Valve will make replacement parts after launch

While Valve very much suggests you shouldn't crack open the Steam Deck, it also plans to supply parts in case you need to replace them.

TJ Denzer

October 6, 2021 3:15 PM

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There’s a lot of very carefully crafted and placed electronics and design inside the Steam Deck. Of course, that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to open it up and see for yourself. In fact, while Valve warns that you probably shouldn’t do that unless you absolutely have to, they were also kind enough to post a teardown video on how to do it. More than that, Valve’s teardown video stated that if you should need to replace parts on the Steam Deck, it plans to make them available directly soon after the platform launches.

Valve posted its teardown video of the Steam Deck via the Valve YouTube channel on October 6, 2021. While Valve does heavily suggest that you should not crack open the Steam Deck due to the careful arrangement of the components inside, it also provides detailed instructions on how if you need to get in there. Perhaps more interesting is that Valve stated it will open a source for replacement parts sometime after the Steam Deck launches.

The Steam Deck teardown video goes into how to remove the backing of the device to get into the internals, how to disconnect the wires and battery, and how to take out the sticks and SSD. It’s during the stick segment that it mentions the point about replacement parts.

“Be aware that the whole assembly is custom: the stick, the board, and the cap,” the video explains. “Replacing these will require matching the custom parts exactly. Stay tuned in the coming months for a source for replacement parts - thumbsticks, SSDs, and possibly more.”

That is to say that it seems Valve has plans for a first-party replacement part shop after Valve launches the first batch of Steam Decks in December. Though Valve has also said it’s building the Steam Deck to avoid stick drift, this should also come as somewhat of a relief to anyone worried about components breaking and needing to swap them out on the Steam Deck.

The Steam Deck is looking like a pretty solid device and though Valve stressed that you should never dig around inside if you don’t have to, it’s nice to know the company has put together some measures to help out should you need them. We’ll have more details on replacement Steam Deck parts likely after it launches. Stay tuned for further details and coverage.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.