Valve delivered good news today for Steam Deck owners who aren't sure what they'll do if they end up breaking their precious portable gaming machines: Official Steam Deck repair centers are now open.
"If you encounter an issue and need to send your Steam Deck for repair or replacement, devices will now go to one of our repair centers," Valve said. "Once there, our team will diagnose the device, repair if needed, then ship the fixed unit back to you.
"Repairs for issues covered by warranty are free of charge. If a Steam Deck comes in that is not covered by warranty, our team will reach out and offer to repair the device for a fee (if a repair is possible). This out-of-warranty repair service is completely optional, and you can ask for your device back if you prefer."
Valve laid out a couple of scenarios in which Steam Deck owners might find themselves in order to illustrate the sorts of things that are covered under warranty-intermittent button problems ("rare, but it sometimes happens"), which would be diagnosed, fixed, tested, and shipped back at no charge-and those that are not: "My dog chewed off my thumbsticks," which can be diagnosed, fixed, and shipped back to you, but you're gonna pay for it. That's fair, I think.
For those who prefer the DIY approach, Valve noted that iFixit continues to offer a range of replacement parts, repair kits, and guides. For a lot of Steam Deck owners, that will likely be the avenue of choice: A Steam Deck-owning friend of mine recently raved about the unit's ease of access and use of standard components, which makes it (relatively) easy to swap parts around. (He's the kind of guy who gets his hands on extremely expensive pieces of equipment and immediately tears them apart to see how he can make them "better," so he knows about such things.)
"We're glad to get this service up and running," Valve said. "Most folks won't ever need to use it, but for those of you that do, we want to make sure you're taken care of."
If you have a Steam Deck in need of assistance and want to take advantage of Valve's repair centers, you can start the wheels turning by contact Steam Support.