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Steam Deck Owners Should Not Open The Console, Says Valve
In a new teardown video of the upcoming Steam Deck, developer Valve ironically suggests that users should never open the console to replace or repair parts. The portable PC will give gamers access to thousands of games off Steam's digital library, which consists of over 50,000 titles. While the Steam Deck cannot run every Steam game, at least 16,000 titles are confirmed to be compatible with Valve's exciting new product.
Announced back in July 2021, the Steam Deck is set to ship in December of this year. The system's design has frequently been compared to the Nintendo Switch, with both portable consoles featuring a large central screen surrounded by joysticks and button inputs. In order to support Steam's selection of PC games, which were mainly designed to play with a mouse and keyboard, the Steam Deck will feature various unique controls. The portable PC includes two sticks, four face buttons, a touchscreen, two trackpads, four back buttons and more. Valve recently released a Steam Deck intro video, showing off the handheld's design, performance capabilities, and multitude of control inputs.
A new look inside the Steam Deck has been posted to YouTube by Valve, but the video recommends that players not actually follow it. The look inside the Steam Deck shows how players can open up the portable PC to swap out hardware such as joysticks and solid state drives. However, the company also consistently warns viewers to never actually open the Steam Deck. Damaging the console's battery could make the system catch fire, potentially harming or killing the user. The system's durability is lessened after being opened, static electricity can fry circuits, and the Steam Deck's warranty does not cover any damage caused by user tampering. Swapping parts could also lead to issues with the whole console, though Valve does suggest that official Steam Deck replacement parts will be made available in the future.
While players are advised not to tamper with the Steam Deck's insides, developers are reportedly impressed by the console's performance. Steam Deck developer kits have recently been distributed, and early impressions of the new gaming hardware are quite positive. Many PC games are able to run seamlessly on the Steam Deck, opening up a whole new way to play games that were not positively available on consoles. Games that were only played with a mouse and keyboard are also able to function well using the Steam Deck's touchscreen, proving that Valve has successfully designed an accessible control scheme.
While the console is yet to actually release, Valve's Steam Deck looks to be quite a remarkable piece of gaming hardware. The video breakdown of the portable PC also manages to maintain the developer's classic sense of humor, pleading with players not to open the console while also demonstrating exactly how to do so. Gamers are advised not to mess with the Steam Deck because it could break the system or result in injury, and they would be wise to heed Valve's warning.
The Steam Deck will ship in December 2021.
