We can be a bit rough on Valve’s portable PC, but let’s not get carried away.

A YouTuber, JerryRigEverything, didn’t measure software performance but took a different approach (even literally…) to skin the Steam Deck. Warping, scratching, and setting the display on fire… that’s how he looked at Gabe Newell’s machine’s durable. First, he scratched the screen and concluded that the display on the most expensive version ($650) is somewhat inferior to the two lower-end versions because the anti-glare coating is less resistant to scratches.

Next, the hardware was given a razor to test the durability of the buttons. Still, he also “treated” the surface itself (which sounds precisely like scratching a chalkboard with your fingernails) and then drew a Tesla valve on the back, a pun on the company’s name. Then came the flame test: it did no permanent damage to the screen, which is to be expected from IPS displays. Bending and warping didn’t damage the Steam Deck either, so it’s pretty durable. He plans to take it apart in the future. Valve calls its device repair-friendly.

Meanwhile, Valve was able to get Final Fantasy XIV to work on Steam Deck after Square Enix’s launcher update broke compatibility on Valve’s device. However, the latest experimental Proton update fixes this issue, allowing the Japanese publisher’s MMO to be played on the portable again.

Other supported games in the experimental code include Age of Chivalry, Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamer Edition, Saviors of Sapphire Wings/Stranger of Sword City Revisited, Iragon: Prologue, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, Atelier Meruru, Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide, Star Wars Episode I Racer, Gary Grigsby’s War in the East, Gary Grigsby’s War in the West, Beneath a Steel Sky, We Were Here Forever, Cities XXL, Cladun X2, Succubus x Saint, Cursed Armor. This update also fixes the Elden Ring and Deathloop glitches.

Let’s not shave the Steam Deck, though. It’s not meant for that.

Source: PCGamer, PCGamer