Valve warns Steam Deck users not to mod their device
"Please don't do this."
Valve designer Lawrence Yang has made a public plea to users, asking them not to mod their devices in a bid to increase the Steam Deck's SSD to house a 2242 M.2 NVMe SSD, rather than the 2230 form factor SSD it comes with as standard.
In response to an article reporting one such way of doing this, Yang replied: "Hi, please don't do this. The charger IC gets very hot and nearby thermal pads should not be moved. In addition, most 2242 m.2 drives draw more power and get hotter than what Deck is designed for."
Yang finished by writing that, while the mod in question "may appear to work", it will "significantly shorten the life of your Deck". So, certainly something that is best avoided.
In April, Valve revealed it was ramping up its Steam Deck shipments. As a quick reminder, once an email has been sent letting you know there are some available devices, you only have three days (72 hours) to click the link and secure the purchase of your Deck.
In addition to this upsurge in Steam Deck shipments, Valve also updated its product page to "clarify what After Q3 means in terms of months". For those ordering now, "After Q3" means "October 2022 or later".
And, for those that are lucky enough to already have their hands on Valve's portable PC, the Steam summer sale is now on, with thousands of games waiting to snapped up for a fraction of their usual price. This includes everything from AAA epics such as Red Dead Redemption 2, to Indie titles such as The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe.
Meanwhile, If you are still not sure if the Steam Deck is for you, you can check out Digital Foundry's review here.