What Was Valve Hiding? - Steam Deck Teardown Reaction

We finally got our first look inside the Valve Steam Deck, here's our reaction.

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Title: Laszlo - Supernova

[CobraDBlade]

"People aren't going to be opening this thing up for fun"

3 Days after Steam Deck releases: New LTT Video titled "We Water Cooled the Steam Deck!"

[TheOnceAndFutureDoug]

To their "don't do this" message, as someone who designs and builds interfaces, messages like this have nothing to do with people who know why they can ignore them. Valve isn't talking to Linus or Anthony or any repair shop. Anyone who knows what a static wrist strap is and can intelligently discuss why you might or might not need one is not who that message is for.

That message is for baby Linus who's only built his first computer and it was under heavy supervision from an adult who know what they were doing. You warn that guy and telling someone why makes it more likely a warning will stick.

Think of it this way: You approach one line and see a sign saying, "You shouldn't cross this line." and then you see another line on the other side saying, "You shouldn't cross this line because it's a live-fire range and you will get shot." Which of those two lines are you going to pay more attention to?

[typingwords]

I appreciate how specific and careful they're being when talking about the risks, compared to a PC, people buying a steamdeck might have zero repair experience and it's better to be safe than sorry

[mobsr]

Everybody is freaking out over the replacement parts for the Steam Deck, but you clearly don't know Valve. A friend of mine got an officially sourced replacement olive for his Team Fortress 2 Sandvich replica. That is real customer service.

[will]

"Don't play with fireworks... however, it is cool" - Valve probably.

[HughJeffreys]

"...You have every right to open it up and do what you want"

*iPhone 13 has left the chat.*

[iAmTheSquidThing]

In fairness, they're saying "Leave this to professionals." not "Leave this to us." I think the most important thing is that you can take a device to your choice of repair-shop.

[TheLrdfSpace]

Man actually managed to hear back from Valve quicker than the entirety of the TF2 community

[kcr]

I think, to be fair to Valve, they're adding all the "don't do this disclaimers" to prevent being responsible for when someone who genuinely has no clue what they're doing attempts it and cites the teardown as their source and attempts to open a lawsuit; rather than being an actual "don't do this".

[noottoot]

Kudos for valve for doing what every tech company should do: recognizing that if you buy a product, you own it.

[dumpsterdawg]

Linus: "I can see myself opening it"
Also known as "Dropping"

[shogun]

Best thing I've ever heard
"I can afford to break my steam deck"
People often forget that just because Linus did it doesn't mean it's a good idea he can afford to break shit.

[ProjectJamesify]

"Together with my co-host Anthony"

*Happiness noises*

[jamiegreig]

I agree with the aggressive "don't do this" stance Valve is taking. In the end anyone who feels comfortable was going to open it regardless. If you have any doubts about opening a device like this you ABSOLUTELY SHOULDN'T

[imark]

The ability to buy every part individually, that's going to lead to some some seriously cool aftermarket mods, custom cases and accessibility hacks!

[PrismPoint]

A note on the seemingly mixed messaging of "you can open it, but don't, " remember that this is potentially a competitor to the switch, a device marketed to everyone from hobbyists to toddlers to grandmas. Anyone who regularly tears these things down will anyway, but valve probably doesn't want people to think you can just pop it open like an android phone's battery compartment.

[xm]

So happy to hear valve specifically state “it’s your product you have the right to do what you want with it.”Idk what it is about the steam deck but I am so excited for it!

[razorboy]

To minimize stripping out the holes when replacing self-tapping screws, drop the screw in the hole and turn it BACKWARDS with very slight downward pressure until the screw suddenly falls into the hole a bit. That happens when the threads of the screw fall back into the threads in the hole that they had previously cut. A good secondary test that it truly did fall back in (nearly) perfectly is to start screwing it in with as close to zero torque (twisting force) as possible. If it goes in 2-3 full turns with this nearly no torque method, you hit the old threads. Do this and you'll likely be able to remove & replace self-tapping screws many times without stripping the hole to the point where the screws stop holding.

[DangerVision]

I love that the Valve rep emailed Linus back quickly enough that they were still filming the segment. 👍

[spoony]

Valve pulling out the good guy card at time when we needed it the most. A lot of respect was earned through this video.