A Valve Designer Warns Against Modifying or Repairing Your Steam Deck Yourself

A Steam Deck designer does not want people from doing anything to their Steam Deck handhelds on their own.

Lawrence Yang, a designer who worked on the Steam Deck, is advising people on his Twitter account not to modify or repair their Steam Decks on their own, per Rock Paper Shotgun.

Yang's advice follows a PC Gamer article mentioning that Steam Deck users can install a larger NVMe SSD through a mod.

Steam Deck Mod And DIY Repair Warning Details

Yang mentioned in his official Twitter account that using a popular mod for the Steam Deck will compromise the device's ability to dissipate heat, which will significantly shorten a Steam Deck's lifespan.

The mod in question was created by Canadian modder Belly Jelly, which upgraded their Steam Deck's SSD to use a 2242 M.2 NVMe SSD rather than the 2230 form factor SSD the handheld was equipped with.

Belly Jelly mentioned in his Twitter account that the Steam Deck's printed circuit board appears to work "fairly well" for adapting a 2242 M.2 NVMe SSD and that it doesn't collide with anything on the motherboard or put any extra strain on any cables.

Testers discovered that following this modification does give larger storage, per a separate PC Gamer article. Although doing so doesn't have a significant change in response time - a micro SD load was only two seconds behind an NVMe SSD.

Belly Jelly does have reason to recommend the mod, though. a Reddit user by the name of u/midnight_watch mentioned that they emailed Valve CEO Gabe Newell, asking if the Steam Deck's SSD is replaceable - a question that Newell answered in the affirmative.

However, the Canadian modder does admit that the mod slightly makes the handheld's heat spreader, a device that moves heat from an area of a device that creates heat to a heat exchanger with a larger cross-sectional area, surface area, and volume, to bow.

Yang mentioned that most 2242 M.2 SSD drives require more power and heat than what the Steam Deck is designed for, which would eventually lead to overheating. He also added that the thermal pads within the device should not be moved and that while the mod may appear to work, it will significantly shorten the life of a Steam Deck.

Interestingly, Valve warned users of modifying their Steam Decks on its website, stating that "all models use socketed 2230 M.2 modules (not intended for end-user replacement)."

The warning also covers DIY repairs that could mess up the handheld's internal circuitry and design.

Users should keep in mind that Yang's comment on the mod in question does not necessarily reflect Valve's view on the matter.

More Steam Decks On The Way

Although the Steam Deck is sort of hard to get, Valve mentioned earlier that it has increased the production of Steam Deck handhelds and will be shipping "more than double the number of Steam Decks every week."

"Production has picked up, and after today we'll be shipping more than double the number of Steam Decks every week!" Valve said in its official Twitter account.

As such, if you're looking for a Steam Deck to buy or to replace the one you just modded due to it voiding the warranty, you'll be getting a good chance to get one soon.