The era of repairing your own gadgets is almost upon us, and Valve’s Steam Deck handheld gaming PC is arguably the best example yet – not only does it offer a repair-friendly design, but it now looks almost every part sold separately from iFixit.
Tonight the company prematurely unveiled a huge collection of promised repair parts on its website, and we were surprised to see it all up to the motherboard with the AMD Aerith chip in the Heart of the Steam Deck will be available soon, albeit for a pricey $350.
In fact, iFixit will even sell parts that could be considered upgrades to an existing Steam Deck – if you decide you’d rather have the anti-glare screen that only comes with the 512GB model, or the supposedly quieter Huaying fan, than capable are to grab those for $95 or $25 respectively. You can pay $5 more for a “Fix Kit” that comes with everything you need to make those repairs – which I’d highly recommend for the screen , less for the fan.
iFixit was even willing to send us a full US price list for every part it will sell in the first wave, 23 different parts in all:
Steam Deck repair parts at iFixit
| Article number / Link | Name | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Article number / Link | Name | Price |
| 2600021 | Steam Deck Fan / Part Only | $24.99 |
| 2600022 | Steam Deck Fan / Repair Kit | $29.99 |
| 2600031 | Steam Deck (512 GB) Screen / Part Only | $94.99 |
| 2600032 | Steam Deck (512 GB) Screen / Repair Kit | $99.99 |
| 2600041 | Steam Deck (64 GB or 256 GB) Screen / Part Only | $64.99 |
| 2600042 | Steam Deck (64 GB or 256 GB) Screen / Fix Kit | $69.99 |
| 2600051 | Steam Deck Right Thumbstick / Part Only | $19.99 |
| 2600052 | Steam Deck Right Folding Rule / Fix Kit | $24.99 |
| 2600061 | Steam Deck Left Thumbstick / Part Only | $19.99 |
| 2600062 | Steam deck left thumbstick / fix kit | $24.99 |
| 2600071 | Steam Deck Action Button Rubber Diaphragm | $4.99 |
| 2600081 | Steam Deck D-Pad Rubber Diaphragm | $4.99 |
| 2600091 | Steam Deck Steam Knob Rubber Membrane | $4.99 |
| 2600101 | Steam Deck Speakers | $24.99 |
| 2600291 | Steam Deck Left Trigger Button Assembly | $7.99 |
| 2600301 | Steam Deck Right Trigger Button Assembly | $7.99 |
| 2600061 | Steam Deck Left Bumper Knob Assembly | $6.99 |
| 2600171 | Steam Deck Right Bumper Knob Assembly | $6.99 |
| 2600181 | Steam deck back plate | $24.99 |
| 2600191 | Front plate steam deck | $24.99 |
| 2600201 | Steam Deck Motherboard | $349.99 |
| 2600211 | Steam Deck Right Daughter Board | $29.99 |
| 2600221 | Steam Deck Left Daughter Board | $34.99 |
| 2600231 | Steam Deck Battery Glue | $4.99 |
| 2600241 | Steam Deck Screen Glue | $4.99 |
| 2600251 | Steam Deck AC Adapter (US) | $24.99 |
| 2600261 | Steam Deck AC Adapter (EU) | $24.99 |
| 2600271 | Steam Deck AC Adapter (UK) | $24.99 |
GamingOnLinux has a partial list of UK prices also.
One thing you won’t see right away, though, is the Steam Deck’s battery, which is clearly a critical wear and tear item for a battery-operated console that can easily run out of power in under two hours. iFixit only has a placeholder for the battery (and the SSD, thanks u/Fidler_2K @ Reddit†
Here’s what Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit, says The edge about the battery sitch:
We are building a Steam Deck repair solution that contains all the step-by-step guides and parts you need to repair your Deck. Our first release contains the parts and tools to perform most repairs. We don’t have a battery repair fix on day one, but we’re committed to working with Valve to service these devices as they age. Replacing batteries will be essential for the Steam Deck to stand the test of time.
He couldn’t say when they will go on sale after “soon”.
There are also no touchpads, D-pads or buttons on the list yet, although iFixit will sell the rubber membranes that will be underneath. And no internal metal frame, EM shields or flexible ribbon cables. It is therefore not the case that you can build a complete deck from parts. But if you crack the plastic front panel, it might be an easy $25 fix, and you can’t say that about most gadgets.
It’s pretty easy to get into the Steam Deck, by the way: when my thumbstick got a little sticky, I was able to take it out for cleaning by removing just seven screws (and snapping open awkward little plastic clips, I admit ).
By the way, if you’re interested in repair and official parts, I’ve got a story later in the morning that you might want to read.