Imagine running into a minor issue with one of the buttons on your Steam Deck and being quoted up to $227 for a fix. Well, for one unfortunate gamer, this is a reality, as Valve quoted up to €200 for a "major repair" or €135 for a "minor repair."
While the best handheld gaming PC for most people, this costly RMA quote is a cause for concern. Worse still, the wording of Valve's response makes it seem as though repair costs can only increase, rather than potentially come down, should the issue be a simple fix.
In a post to the Steam Deck Reddit page, weerg submitted an image of their conversation with Steam , where a complimentary repair or replacement is refused for a "mushy" R1 button, as the issue is determined to be the fault of the , rather than a problem that may have occurred during shipping.
The agent then offers a fix through an "official partner" and estimates the costs to be €135 plus taxes. The message then goes on to state that if the repair team finds "additional issues" or if "the problem is more severe" than initially stated, the costs could increase to up to €200 plus taxes for a "major repair." This works out to approximately $227 plus taxes based on the current exchange rate.
While the majority of Steam interactions I've seen posted to the Steam Deck Reddit page have been positive, this seems to be quite the opposite. However, it's also important to point out that Valve's RMA isn't a charity, and the cost of repairs also covers shipping on both sides, which can add up quickly.
The agent doesn't force the repair, though, giving the option to simply walk away if the quote isn't appealing. They even state that you can perform your own repairs, with a link to a guide with more information, if you feel confident.
If you're keen to know more about the Steam Deck's competition, you can read our ROG Ally X review to see how these Windows-based handhelds compare.
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