
The Steam Deck will be arriving in early adopters’ hands this December, and undoubtedly one of the first things many new owners will do is crack it open to see what makes it tick.
Valve’s advice? Don’t.
In a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ move, Valve has published a teardown video of the Steam Deck showing users how to replace components while advising people that they don’t try this at home.
- The best PC games to play on your Steam Deck
- The best gaming PCs
- PLUS: iPhone apps no better for privacy than Android, Oxford study finds
“In one way, this is a how-to video, but in another way, it's a why you really shouldn't do this video,” a voiceover explains at the beginning of the five-minute video.
This isn’t because Valve doesn’t believe you have the right to open up the hardware — in fact, the video makes it quite clear that it’s yours to do what you want with. The reasoning is that the hardware packs a lot into a small space, and the tiniest mistake can lead to serious issues.
“The parts are chosen carefully for this product with its specific construction so they aren't really designed to be user-swappable,” the video continues. “Opening up and replacing parts might mess things up… like profoundly.”
How profoundly? Well, alongside the risk of starting a fire by damaging the battery, Valve suggests that you could simply break the Steam Deck in a number of more mundane ways.
Sign up to the T3 newsletter for smarter living straight to your inbox
Get all the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products from the T3 experts
Opening it up risks weakening the structural integrity which could make it more susceptible to drops, and putting in your own pick of SSD could mess with the device’s power consumption or affect Wi-Fi performance. In other words, there’s a lot of things that can go wrong, even for seasoned PC builders.
While this likely won’t put off pro tinkerers, it doesn’t sound like Valve particularly wants to. For curious amateurs who just want to see inside the Steam Deck, maybe this will be enough, and there will be a few less dead handhelds in the world.
But behind the tongue-in-cheek tone of the video are two quite interesting things. The first is that it’s pretty clear the impact that sites like iFixIt’s teardown videos are having. That a company of Valve’s size feels the need to show how its hardware is constructed with instructions of how to take it apart is a major sea change in the way hardware makers interact with their buyers.
The second is that Valve explicitly makes the point that it’s your hardware to do what you want with. That may sound like it’s simply stating a matter of fact, but ownership has been something other vendors have been keen to dispute in the ongoing fight against proposed right-to-repair laws.
Both of these points could be batted away with Valve just being Valve — after all, it’s not your average hardware maker. On the other hand, this kind of openness might just encourage others to do similar, and that would be a significant change of attitude.
-
Lowa Renegade Evo GTX review: Modern comfort, classic performance (with one sole caveat)
Blending classic craftsmanship with modern comfort, the Renegade Evo GTX Mid delivers all-weather performance for serious hikers
By Matt Buckley Published
-
HBO's most underrated comedy gets a dazzling trailer ahead of return
The Righteous Gemstones will go out with a bang
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
I've fallen in love with my PS5 Pro at last thanks to this huge new game
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II has put my console through its paces
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
The Switch 2 could be the greatest console ever, thanks to one key detail
That back catalogue is going to be genuinely crazy
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
I'm finally playing a game that makes my PS5 Pro feel worth it
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is a visual powerhouse
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
How to watch the new Xbox Games Showcase – Developer_Direct 2025
Xbox will host a new Developer_Direct today, where we'll get deep dives on forthcoming games – here's how to watch it live
By Rik Henderson Last updated
-
Gaming laptops that actually last? Nvidia's new cards promise a lot
The GeForce RTX 50 series is here
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
Razer slims down its Blade 16 laptop with stunning results
Is this the most attractive gaming laptop ever?
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
Should I buy the PS5 Pro? Six weeks into ownership, here's my honest opinion
It's a complicated question, and I've got thoughts
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
The best gaming headset I've ever used hits lowest-ever price for Black Friday
This SteelSeries headset will elevate your gaming
By Max Freeman-Mills Published