An iFixit staffer informed a Steam Deck consumer that the corporate had no plans to inventory substitute OEM batteries.
Apart from enabling you to play Baldur’s Gate 3 within the lavatory, one of many huge advantages of the Steam Deck is how repairable it’s. Whereas the Steam Deck OLED acquired a glowing 9/10 fixability report from restore specialist iFixit again in 2023, the original LCD mannequin’s 7/10 score was nonetheless respectable.
However the latter’s repairability ranking might simply have taken a reasonably important hit, as it seems that Valve could also be sunsetting sure substitute elements. A Reddit put up highlighted by Video Cardz features a screenshot of an e-mail reply a Steam Deck proprietor acquired from an iFixit staffer after they enquired about changing a degrading battery.
In it, a Buyer Operations worker stated iFixit presently has “no quick plans” to inventory a substitute battery for the LCD Steam Deck, after which apologized for the dangerous information. The newer OLED mannequin, which has a bigger battery than the 2022 LCD Deck, isn’t talked about within the response.
“Presently it’s trying much less seemingly that we are going to proceed receiving OEM Steam Deck batteries, and we’re actively evaluating aftermarket choices,” they wrote. “Sadly we do not have a confirmed timeline for when both OEM or aftermarket inventory could be out there.”
In a follow-up put up, a special Reddit consumer, who seemingly additionally works for iFixit, clarified that Valve is sunsetting the elements in query, fairly than it being an iFixit resolution to not inventory them. Whereas third-party batteries are extensively out there from retailers corresponding to Amazon, it is fairly shocking to see Valve seemingly deciding to not present official ones for a tool that it solely launched 4 years in the past. Again in 2022, iFixit CEO informed The Verge that battery replacements could be “important to creating the Steam Deck stand the take a look at of time.”
For those who’ve been keeping track of gaming {hardware} information over the past 12 months, this information might not come as a complete shock. Valve discontinued the LCD Steam Deck totally on the finish of 2025, and after a interval of inventory outage, Steam Deck OLED prices skyrocketed in Could, with Valve blaming growing reminiscence and storage prices. The Steam Machine lastly arrived the next month, with costs beginning at $1,049 for the 512GB variant with out a controller.
