Modding a Steam Deck for the First Time: Hopefully I Don’t Break It

A customer dropped off their Steam Deck and asked me to mod it. I’ll be honest, I’d never touched one before. I’ve heard that these things are surprisingly repairable, but until you actually get your hands on it, you can’t really know. It looks solid & sleek.

Opening It Up

Turns out, the Steam Deck is way friendlier than it looks. The back is held on by a bunch of Phillips screws, nothing weird or proprietary. I unscrewed them all, gently pried up the back, and… boom. There it was.

The Steam Deck all exposed and looking even better in person. The layout is clean and organized, which immediately gave me confidence that maybe, just maybe, I could pull this off without ruining it.

Doing the Mod

Now, the mod itself was actually super simple. The part the customer brought in just needed to be peeled and pushed into place. One satisfying “crunch” later, and it was locked in. That’s it. No complicated wiring, no fiddly connectors, no sweating bullets. Honestly, for a first-time Steam Deck mod, it was shockingly painless.

Final Thoughts

This Steam Deck surprised me. It’s built solid, looks amazing, and is a lot more approachable than you’d think. If you’re thinking about modding one yourself, don’t be intimidated. Take your time, grab the right tools, and enjoy it, it’s actually fun once you get in there.

I guess you could say this Steam Deck is now officially decked out.

See you in the next article.