KEY FINDINGS
• First of all, Valve should be applauded for offering this level of accessibility and upgradeability on its hardware. With just a little experience of PC building, you should be able to crack this thing open—though Valve warns that doing so will make the device more prone to drop damage. Valve has clearly labeled each internal component, which helps the repair process.
• Easily replaceable items include the thumbsticks, storage, and motherboard items such as RAM. The battery and display aren’t so easy. The battery could be the Steam Deck’s Achilles’ Heel—it lasts as little as 90 minutes playing demanding games, meaning you could be going through plenty of recharge cycles.
• If there’s one reason to open your Steam Deck, it’s to upgrade the storage. But the microSD card slot is externally accessible, so you might want to try that first. If you do want to upgrade or replace the SSD, you can remove the M.2 2230 drive with a single screw. Just remember to reinstall the thin shield to prevent interference with the wireless receiver underneath.
• The thumbsticks are held in with three screws each—loosen these and they come right out. No soldering is a big deal for hardcore gaming fans who may experience drift over time. Replacements should be available at some point in the future.
• Battery replacement is tricky, even for seasoned hardware fixers. It’s fiddly, requires specialist tools, and has the potential to damage your hardware. Drain the battery, then apply heat to soften the adhesive and pry it out. Isopropyl alcohol would make this easier, but any leaks could damage the display. The battery is an L-shaped model with two cells, like the iPhone X.
• The screen is also tricky to replace but, hopefully, you won’t need to. To do so, apply heat to the outside, apply a suction cup to the screen and use a plastic tool to make an incision in the adhesive under the bezel. The anti-glare etched glass coating makes it difficult for the suction cup to maintain a grip.
• There are other minor gripes about upgradeability. The USB-C charging port and the microSD slot are both soldered to the main board—the former can get damaged over time, especially on a device that needs to be charged as frequently as this.
• Repairability Score 7 out of 10 (10 is the easiest to repair). Valve’s repairability guides warn of danger when opening up the Steam Deck, but as long as you’re sensible, you have nothing to worry about. Valve has prioritized the right components for repairability, such as the SSD drive and the thumbsticks. The real shocker is how difficult it is to repair the battery. However, props to Valve for giving every model of Steam Deck the same internal components—even if you opt for the budget model, you can still give it a substantial upgrade down the line.