Valve has shared a partial teardown of the Steam Deck on its official YouTube channel. Appropriately titled “Take a look inside Steam Deck,” the video not only provides an excellent glimpse at some of the console’s key innards but also demonstrates how the portable PC’s thumb sticks and SSD can be replaced by prospective owners. Some of the components that can be clearly visualized is the system fan, as well as its lithium-ion battery.
Per Valve:
One of the most frequently asked questions we’ve received about Steam Deck is about the components inside it, and whether they’re replaceable or upgradable. The answer is a bit more complicated than just a yes or no, so we’ve made a video to explain all the details.
But despite the effort that it spent on this video, Valve is warning Steam Deck users that the handheld isn’t really meant to be opened up and is adamantly advising against it. Valve warns that the Steam Deck could catch on fire in extreme cases.
“[…] we at valve really don’t recommend that you ever open it up,” Valve said. “The steam deck is a very tightly designed system, and the parts are chosen carefully for this product with its specific construction, so they aren’t really designed to be user swappable. Opening up and replacing parts might mess things up like profoundly. For example, if you damage the battery the whole thing could catch fire later, which would be bad.”
The Steam Deck will begin shipping in December 2021.
Source: Steam