this post was submitted on 15 Jul 2026
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Steam Hardware

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It looks like iFixit won't be getting any more Steam Deck LCD spare parts (www.gamingonlinux.com)
submitted 15 hours ago by FirmDistribution@lemmy.world to c/steamdeck@sopuli.xyz
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[–] ryper@lemmy.ca 22 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago)

Update: Valve says iFixit will keep selling Steam Deck batteries after all

Why would Valve stop stocking the most important replacement part just as people are starting to need it?

Here is Valve’s answer to The Verge, as of 5PM ET: “We just confirmed with iFixit that they plan to have batteries back in stock by next week.”

“iFixit will be getting the same OEM parts sourced through Valve’s partners that they always have,” spokesperson Kaci Aitchison Boyle tells me.

The Reddit story wasn’t necessarily false. Earlier today, iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens confirmed to The Verge that it had indeed heard that Valve would no longer make replacement batteries or screens for the original Steam Deck LCD.

But by afternoon, Valve and iFixit had already managed to change that. “They have hooked us up with a supplier, we’re working on it,” Wiens now tells me. And if Valve does decide to sunset the part in the future, iFixit says it’ll be ready to take up the torch by using an aftermarket supplier instead. “I want people to know we are going to find a way to get batteries for these things,” says Wiens.

[–] Sanctus@anarchist.nexus 80 points 14 hours ago (3 children)

Kinda feel like a 600 dollar device should be supported for at least a decade.

[–] empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com 51 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

I doubt this is even Steam's fault at this point, I'd almost guarantee every supplier has cut them off due to volume requirements and redirecting production to you know what.

[–] tanisnikana@lemmy.world 46 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Towards the Torment Nexus, right?

[–] cecilkorik@piefed.ca 15 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Yes, we need the Torment Nexus as quickly as possible. Imagine how horrible it would be if we were not the first ones to have a Torment Nexus!

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 6 points 11 hours ago

Don't want to get left behind.

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 18 points 13 hours ago

This is exactly the point I was making in my comment. It's basically impossible to find a supplier that will guarantee a decade lifespan for a nontrivial IC.

[–] PumaStoleMyBluff@lemmy.world 5 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

They dropped support for the 2015 Steam Controller 3 years ago. If you want to use it on modern versions of steam, you need to use a 3rd-party firmware update tool.

[–] example@reddthat.com 2 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (1 children)

what do you mean? I can still play with the old steam controller without third party software

[–] PumaStoleMyBluff@lemmy.world 2 points 5 hours ago

There was some window of time where it was available as an update in Steam, but it has been removed. If you didn't update it during that window you have to use the 3rd party tool (exactly once, not to play every time).

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 14 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

How do we get silicon manufacturers to get on board with this concept?

[–] 0tan0d@lemmy.world 20 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Fix income and wealthy inequality and break up large businesses to force competition. .

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 8 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

That's the long-term goal, and I'm fully on board, but how can we work within the system to accomplish this in a five-year timeline?

[–] DarkSirrush@piefed.ca 7 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

🔥🔥🔥

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 4 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Well, that'll accomplish one of the goals.

[–] cecilkorik@piefed.ca 7 points 12 hours ago

It's very likely a prerequisite, unfortunately.

[–] Sanctus@anarchist.nexus 0 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Woah is me, whatever will the biggest name in the PC gaming industry do?

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 8 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

Were you trying to say "woe?"

[–] Sanctus@anarchist.nexus -3 points 13 hours ago (3 children)

Yes, but the point is, they dont have any sway? Theres no way a multi billion dollar company can get a service contract for a decade? Sure, bud. Sure.

[–] NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de 12 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

The company may be big, but their hardware orders are nothing compared to the orders for compute farms. They've gone on record recently about the Steam Machine saying there are some components they could not secure at all, for any price. Their service contacts are just not attractive when the world-ending AI farms are happy to pay more per unit and ordering more units total.

I do think they really should try their hardest to keep those replacement parts coming, but from the outside it's impossible to know how hard they actually tried. The only question is whether you give them the benefit of the doubt. You don't seem to, and that's fine (honestly I'm not sure I should give it either), but what I'm saying is there is doubt, the market is so fucked right now that this is actually believable.

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 4 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago) (1 children)

I can speak from actual industry experience: even major players in the hardware space have significant trouble sourcing the quantities they want if their names don't start with "Samsu" or "App" - and sometimes, even then.

[–] marlowe221@lemmy.world 2 points 10 hours ago

Lenovo, HP, and Dell are also pretty big players too.

But even Microsoft priced the Surface line as high as they did because they just weren’t moving much hardware in comparison.

[–] cecilkorik@piefed.ca 3 points 12 hours ago

No, they can't. And the "biggest name" in PC gaming doesn't mean they're the biggest actual company in PC gaming, much less the biggest company in computing as a whole. They're not even in the same league as datacenter operators and builders anymore. Nobody is. Maybe they should be. I think they deserve to be. But they aren't. I too, wish the entire economy still made sense. But it's not Valve's fault that it doesn't. They are not the ones causing this to be a reality, but it is still the reality whether it makes sense or not and whether we agree with it or not.

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 4 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)

Honestly, no. Even Apple had to start making their own chips.

To clarify, I'm speaking with decades of industry experience.

[–] PonyOfWar@pawb.social 31 points 13 hours ago

That sucks. Right at the point where needing spare parts is getting more likely for Steam Deck owners. What's the point in selling replacement batteries if you only sell them while almost everyone's batteries are still fine?

Hopefully they'll be able to stock some good third-party parts.

[–] CaptDust@sh.itjust.works 36 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (1 children)

Well fuck. A lot of the OG decks are getting into battery replacement time, this is unfortunate if they really are discontinuing parts. I can't blame valve to stop producing the older hardware but hopefully ifixit can work with them to line up reputable third party suppliers.

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 19 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

I'm confident that third-party batteries will come along in short order. I remember the early days when it took a week of research to find a "compatible" SSD replacement; a year later, scads of SKUs were being marketed as such, and at better prices.

[–] zarathustrad@lemmy.world 5 points 12 hours ago

Well, It will be much cheaper to source the battery replacement than any SSD for the next few years, that is for certain.

[–] iamthetot@piefed.ca 7 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Article really only mentions battery. My LCD model has needed a replacement LB for a while, and I've been putting it off. Looks like maybe I shouldn't do that now

[–] iamthetot@piefed.ca 6 points 10 hours ago

Goddamn, it's two and a half times more expensive than the last time I looked at one. And many other parts are just full out of stock.

[–] newthrowaway20@lemmy.world 5 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago)

I've had mine damn near 4 years now and I upgraded to a 2tb when I first bought it, and I just recently installed a new battery. Ifixit didn't have the battery in stock when I looked, so I ordered a third party. It's higher density, like 5000 mah and it fit just fine in the LCD deck. Honestly the hardest part of the install was loosening the adhesive, but if you follow the guide it's not too bad, just gotta be patient.

No idea how well it'll hold up, but it's been fine so far. It's nice to have some actual battery life available again for now at least. But with how these things have gone up in cost, I gotta try and get as much life out of it as I can.

[–] AssaultPepper@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago) (1 children)

Hopefully I can trust the Aliexpress batteries I guess.

Edit: Nvm we're okay now: https://www.theverge.com/games/966106/valve-ifixit-will-keep-selling-steam-deck-lcd-battery

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 11 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

Maybe wait a tick until iFixit (or any other reputable source) blesses them.

[–] DarkCloud@lemmy.world 7 points 13 hours ago

More focus should be made on repairability for products like this.

[–] Wfh@lemmy.zip 2 points 10 hours ago

That sucks. I'm kinda glad I didn't wait for another month to replace my dying battery, but I'm sad for other people in the same boat.

[–] kittenzrulz123@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 13 hours ago

Right as prices for the steam deck oled skyrocket

[–] MystValkyrie@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago) (1 children)

Oh good. That was the whole reason I bought a Steam Deck lol. And my battery is in bad shape. Not that I blame Valve particularly.

[–] iamthetot@piefed.ca 6 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Why don't you blame Valve particularly?

iFixit said: "To add clarity: it’s not that we’re choosing to not stock these anymore. Unfortunately, Valve is just starting to sunset these parts."

[–] MystValkyrie@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

Well, because they've struggled with their suppliers of late. In any case, it's a non-issue now that they won't be sunsetting the batteries after all.