Over the weekend many may have missed the fact that you can now get more familiar with the Steam Deck without actually having one in your hands, thanks to the fact that Valve has released official digital files for the new PC handheld.
The repository of files is available here on Github and contains everything makers and companies would need to create products such as accessories and addons for the device.
“This repository contains CAD files for the external shell (surface topology) of Steam Deck, under a Creative Commons license. This includes an STP model, STL model, and drawings (DWG) for reference,” the page reads.
Both individuals and companies should have a proper read of the Creative Commons details with the files on GitHub listed under Attribution-NonCommercial-Sharealike 4.0 International license.
As you may have guessed by that name this isn’t intended for companies to make commercial products with those intending to do so prompted to contact Valve. In fact, Valve wants most people who use the files to contact them, especially if they make something cool.
“We’re looking forward to seeing what the community creates! Please reach out to us at SteamDeckExternal@valvesoftware.com with any questions, feedback, requests, and most importantly – interesting creations,” the page continues.
Those surprised by Valve being rather open with the Steam Deck shouldn’t be as the company released a video of the hardware being opened and torn down back in October last year. This is again brought up on GitHub.
“As mentioned in our ‘Take a look inside Steam Deck’ video, you have every right to open up your Steam Deck and do what you want with it. That said, we highly recommend you leave it to professionals. Any damage you do will not be covered by your warranty – but more importantly, you might break your Steam Deck, or even get hurt! Be careful, and have fun,” the page reads.
Below you can see some of the files including in the repository. Aside from precise measurements of the Steam Deck it also includes extra information such as a suggestion not to cover vent and speaker holes to prevent overheating and audio problems. These kind of schematics also make great posters and PC wallpapers.
We’re also happy to see that the measurements are in metric, a common enough occurrence for these kinds of files but not always guaranteed for documents from American companies.
