Steam Deck SSD is scalable, but it won’t be easy

Last week, Valve unveiled the Steam Deck, an impressive-looking portable gaming PC to be launched later this year. Since then, one of the open questions is whether or not its internal SSD storage can be upgraded by the user.

During IGN exclusive practice with the Steam Deck, Valve hardware engineer Yazan Aldehayyat confirmed that the SSD is not soldered to the motherboard, which means it is technically upgradeable by the user.

“We’re using a standard M.2 NVMe SSD in there,” Aldehayyat said. “It’s a separate module – we’ve gone against the trend of putting it right on the motherboard.”

Credit: Valve

That said, that doesn’t mean upgrading the SSD will be easy. “Repairability is something we focused on and tried to make it as repairable as possible. But it’s really for people who know what they’re doing and have experience in it.

These comments correspond to the new post that appeared on the Steam Deck hardware specifications page: “All models use 2230m.2 socket modules (not intended for end-user replacement).

In other words, the SSD is upgradeable, but it’s not in an easily accessible place like the PS5’s SSD expansion slot. This means that people who aren’t afraid to take their unit apart (and will likely void the warranty along the way) will be able to upgrade that SSD to a 2230m.2 compatible module, but that’s not something that Valve expects (or recommends) most users to do.

The Steam Deck comes in three models: 64GB for $ 399, 256GB for $ 529, and 512GB for $ 649. Stay tuned tomorrow as we dive deep into the Steam Deck hardware.