Steam Deck now has official repair centers. Valve has confirmed that the portable gaming PC can now be sent in for repairs, and if under warranty, the customer won"t have to pay anything for repairs (which are covered by the warranty). As expected, physical damages aren"t under the ambit of warranty which means they must be paid for.
Until recently, repairing malfunctioning or damaged Steam Deck was a challenging task. Valve wasn’t offering a physical store or there weren"t any authorized service centers that accepted a broken Steam Deck. The only way to repair the device was to try a local electronics repair shop or perform repairs at home.
Valve has tied up with iFixit to ensure those comfortable with performing DIY repairs have access to official parts. Steam Deck owners facing hardware issues with their devices will have to first contact support. After the customer care team confirms, the device will have to be mailed in. "Once there, our team will diagnose the device, repair if needed, then ship the fixed unit back to you," states the blog post confirming the news.
The majority of repairs should be free, provided the Steam Deck is under warranty. If a repair isn’t covered under a warranty or the device is out of the warranty period, Valve will reach out and ask to fix up your Deck for a fee. The owner will then have a choice of paying the fee to get the device repaired, or declining that fix and asking for the hardware back.
It is not immediately clear if the Steam Deck owner will have to pay for shipping, especially if the repair isn’t performed or the device is out of warranty. However, Steam Deck that’s being repaired under warranty should be sent back for free. It is possible that the company might charge shipping, and service charges, in addition to the cost of the component repaired or replaced.
Valve has not uploaded a complete list of repair services it covers. Moreover, the company hasn’t specified who runs the repair shops. It is possible that Valve might be outsourcing or contracting third-party repair shops.