Last week, Valve unveiled the Steam Deck, an impressive-looking handheld gaming PC that will launch later this year. Since then, one of the lingering questions is whether or not its internal SSD storage will be user-upgradable.
During IGN’s exclusive hands-on with the Steam Deck, Valve hardware engineer Yazan Aldehayyat confirmed that the SSD is not soldered to the motherboard, which means that it is technically user-upgradeable.
“We are using a standard M.2 NVMe SSD in there,” Aldehayyat said. “It's a separate module – we went against the trend of putting it directly on the motherboard.”
[caption]
Credit: Valve[/caption]
That said, this doesn’t mean that upgrading the SSD will be easy. “The repairability is something we did actually focus on and try to make it as repairable as possible. But, it's really meant for people who know what they're doing, and have experience doing it.”
These comments fall in line with new messaging that has appeared on the Steam Deck hardware specs page: “All models use socketed 2230 m.2 modules (not intended for end-user replacement).
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/07/15/steam-deck-first-hands-on-with-valves-handheld-gaming-pc"]
In other words, the SSD is upgradeable, but it’s not in an easily accessible spot like the PS5’s SSD expansion slot. This means folks who aren’t afraid to take their unit apart (and likely void the warranty along the way) will be able to upgrade that SSD to a compatible 2230 m.2 module, but it’s not something that Valve expects (or recommends) most users to do.
The Steam Deck comes in three models: 64GB for $399, 256GB for $529, and 512GB for $649. Stay tuned tomorrow as we take a deep dive into the Steam Deck’s hardware.
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During IGN’s exclusive hands-on with the Steam Deck, Valve hardware engineer Yazan Aldehayyat confirmed that the SSD is not soldered to the motherboard, which means that it is technically user-upgradeable.
“We are using a standard M.2 NVMe SSD in there,” Aldehayyat said. “It's a separate module – we went against the trend of putting it directly on the motherboard.”
[caption]
Credit: Valve[/caption]That said, this doesn’t mean that upgrading the SSD will be easy. “The repairability is something we did actually focus on and try to make it as repairable as possible. But, it's really meant for people who know what they're doing, and have experience doing it.”
These comments fall in line with new messaging that has appeared on the Steam Deck hardware specs page: “All models use socketed 2230 m.2 modules (not intended for end-user replacement).
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/07/15/steam-deck-first-hands-on-with-valves-handheld-gaming-pc"]
In other words, the SSD is upgradeable, but it’s not in an easily accessible spot like the PS5’s SSD expansion slot. This means folks who aren’t afraid to take their unit apart (and likely void the warranty along the way) will be able to upgrade that SSD to a compatible 2230 m.2 module, but it’s not something that Valve expects (or recommends) most users to do.
The Steam Deck comes in three models: 64GB for $399, 256GB for $529, and 512GB for $649. Stay tuned tomorrow as we take a deep dive into the Steam Deck’s hardware.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="slug=close-up-photos-of-valves-steam-deck&captions=true"][poilib element="accentDivider"]
Continue reading...