Valve releases official CAD files to let you 3D-print your own Steam Deck

In a whimsical little surprise, Valve has released the CAD files for the outer shell of its upcoming Steam Deck.

[Inverno]

I would love something like this for VITA and Switch. Such untapped potential to customize these things as you like

[blacktiger]

But nintendo and sony doesn't support open source or open hardware, Valve is the only company in the world that supports it

[Loktai]

The big guy is the closed up .... Microsoft... even proprietary storage.

There have been third party shells for Sony consoles since the 90s... Nobody is stopping a third party from doing it. Anyone whos into 3d printing will tell you outright the quality, fit and finish, feel , of this shell would be miserable compared to a mass produced product- and as someone else noted it lacks clip and screw holes, so its not like you can just print it and install it. It would be massive customization then massive fitting to make it even work only for a considerably shittier finish than the original. But it would be a different color....

[luckytrouble]

Seems like another part of Valve's promise for repairability. It's a much safer investment if down the road you can replace a potentially damaged case with a decently 3D printed one.

[ifinitygamer]

I would like to think so, but this doesn't actually have the necessary screw bosses or internal clips to print - you're basically just printing a solid block.
The teardown video they showed also has like 34598 warnings not to actually do any teardowns or repairs :(

[BrainSyphoned]

Those warnings while serious were made with the knowledge that a chunk of their user base will tinker with it. 34,598 warnings that were self aware and tounge in cheek. No frowny face required.

[ifinitygamer]

@BrianSyphoned - yeah fair point - I suppose even without them, people would 100% be tinkering with them, and Valve *is* even making some parts available for it, so it does make sense.