Want to see inside a Steam Deck? Valve has delivered in the latest video although they're keen to remind people not to do any of this yourself.
Valve say it's both a "How to" video and a "Why you shouldn't do any of this". Although they mention once you have it you have a right to do so, it's not recommended. With everything packed so tightly together they're giving a warning about damage to batteries, something that could cause a fire so there's a threat to your life kind of warning involved if you do it wrong. The warranty also doesn't cover any damage done by you if you really choose to do this.
Before getting to the video here's what Valve say about it in the description:
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. Spoiler alert: we DON'T recommend replacing parts yourself, but we still want you to have all of the relevant information about Steam Deck's components.
Direct Link
If you missed it we recently went over the top 100 games played on Steam, to see how many currently work on Linux and should also work on the Steam Deck.
I got a weird vibe from the video. Everything about it screams "open it up" but the idea it tries so hard to convey (and fails in my opinion) is "don’t."
The short of it is, from a legal and logistical standpoint for VALVe, it makes sense for them to want users to not play with the insides of the product, so that they're less on the hook for anything that hits the fan. So, essentially the "don't" part is them putting enough legalese in the video that they basically are shouting "Get off our backs, if you do this you're on your own". But it's also them saying "don't do this, REALLY don't do this, but if you REALLY still want to do this, here's how to do it minimizing risk. Still don't do this. Did we mention don't do this".
It's like drug safety information. It's like you shouldn't take this but if you're going to anyway here's how to minimize the chance you going into A&E or worse die
I've built computers for damn near 30 years. I build and maintain servers for a living. I deal with sensitive electronic equipment on a daily basis.
Once I get my hands on a Steam Deck, you better believe that thing is getting a bigger SSD...
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