Valve has just released the Steam Deck’s CAD files so you can print your own accessories
3D printed head-mount incoming, right?
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The release of the Steam Deck is looming, and with only weeks to go until its official launch, Valve has released the Steam Deck’s CAD times for all to see and use as they see fit, with a couple of caveats. Over of their GitHub page, you can now find various files, packed with design information on the Steam Deck. They released a statement, which says the following:
‘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!’
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Where to download Steam Deck CAD files for 3D printing
Valve has released the CAD files for the Steam Deck over on their GitHub page, and you can download them right here. To download the files, just click on the download icon next to the ‘Clone’ button.
What files were released by Valve?
Valve released CAD files for the external shell and surface topology of the Steam Deck that can be used by people under a Creative Commons License. The files include an STP model, an STL model, in addition to technical drawings presented in a DWG format for reference. Valve’s intentions behind releasing these files are for the 3D-printing community to get creative with building out their own accessories for the Steam Deck for use. But, if you’re wanting to wholesale replace or modify parts of its core design, you’ll be undertaking a bit of a risk, since the Steam Deck can be tricky to disassemble, as the teardowns from various YouTubers have previously illustrated.
As we mentioned, you’re going to need to come in equipped with some good knowledge of 3D modelling and 3D printing if you were to design accessories yourself. But, if you just have a 3D printer, you can expect some new and inventive designs to come out from the community over on sites such as Thingiverse, which posts community-submitted files for you to print, and some PC case mods can even be found over there, if you’re so inclined. Regardless, this is an incredible, and unprecedented move from Valve, to give users actual documentation of the device is something that many manufacturers don’t even think of. Clearly, there’s someone over at Valve who is a huge proponent for 3D printing, and opening the way for community-based solutions that are accessible to anyone with a 3D printer, for no money at all.
Cases in the way of the Steam Deck look to be few and far between ahead of the official release, with only DBrand coming out with a solution that users are able to purchase. However now, with the release of these files, you can expect some talented, and smart people in the open-source community to design their own accessories for Steam Deck. Who knows, there could be some entirely custom backplates made for the Steam Deck now that the files are out there, which could result in you being able to change the design of the device itself (with limitations concerning the size of the screen, buttons and silicon) for a fully-custom experience. We wouldn’t be surprised to see the Steam Deck turned into a more desktop-esque solution, based on this, modders have done wilder things in the past.
It’s incredibly exciting to see Valve open up its ecosystem to modders, now it’s just up to them to see what they can do with the hardware when it actually finally released to the public. Members of the press have had their hands on the Steam Deck for a while now, so you can expect to find more over on Thingiverse, once the talented community have their hands on the system, and access to these files, which are available to download now.
