Before Valve’s Steam Deck came out, we knew that it would be easier to fix yourself than most new electronics. And now it looks like it won’t be hard to find replacement parts either. On Friday night, iFixit leaked a list of parts it will sell for Valve’s handheld game system. The list showed that the company plans to sell replacement parts for almost every part of the Steam Deck, including replacement motherboards with AMD’s custom Aerith chipset built into them for the handheld.
The Verge says that the company will even sell parts that could be thought of as improvements. For example, if you have the 64GB or 256GB model, you can buy the screen from the 512GB model to get the anti-glare screen that comes with that model. You can also pay an extra $5 for a “Fix Kit” that comes with all the tools you need to replace a panel.
Earlier today we published some pages related to our upcoming parts launch with Valve. These went live earlier than we planned, so we ended up taking them down. If you did get a parts order in, we’ll honor it. 💙
Stay tuned for the real launch soon!
— iFixit (@iFixit) May 21, 2022
Batteries are one part that iFixit won’t sell right away. Those will be available at a later time. The CEO of iFixit, Kyle Wiens, told The Verge, “We don’t have a solution for battery repairs on day one, but we are committed to working with Valve to keep these devices working as they get older.” “The Steam Deck is going to need new batteries if it is going to last the test of time.”
Touchpads and face buttons on the Stream Deck are two more things that won’t have replacements on day one. Most of the parts are not too expensive. For example, fixing a broken thumbstick will cost you $20. A new motherboard, which costs $350, is the most expensive part on the list. With a Valve handheld starting at $400, it wouldn’t be cost-effective to build your own Steam Deck with parts from iFixit, but the company will have you covered for most repairs.
