Props to Taki for going through with a whole steam deck shell replacement. I have taken apart/put back together a fair bit of tech and trying to decipher what steps use which screws if there is conflicting information can be a nightmare.
@@gameoverguy7223or just wait a little bit longer until the DeckHD screens are released and just replace your screen with a better screen than what the Ally has for still significantly cheaper.
bro use a magnetic plate or pad and set everything right-to-left or left-to-right as you take it apart, take photos w/ smartphone, look at photos when you forget certain steps. that's what I did and I've been able to tear down and reassemble most laptops now without problems
I think it would look sexier with the stock buttons and trackpads, but das just my preference. Thanks so much for giving us your honest thoughts. I am definitely not brave enough yet to do this. But mad admiration for those who do it.
I was legit holding my breath so much throughout this whole video. I was actually close to buying this product but honestly this has shown that I probably couldn't do this myself.
That right trackpad aesthetic would immediately make me take apart the Steam Deck just to redo that area. And yeah, the bad thing about transparent shells are the blemishes that can show up if you screw in a screw too tight. I’ve seen my fair share of them when replacing Nintendo Switch joycons and the backplate.
Any recommendations on how to avoid? I'm working on my Steam Deck shell swap now and I'm getting all kinds of little cracks and fissures in the plastic. I don't feel like I'm overtightening or being forceful, so any tips you have would be great!
Just got done putting a clear transparent shell on my steam deck, from extremerate, it went very well, I’m very happy with the end product. A few notes: -Extremerate did supply many of their own screws, I literally used none of them, I was able to just reuse all screws from the original steam deck shell - I did move forward with removing the shell part of the trackpad to replace it with the transparent one, it went well however I wasn’t happy with just the fact that it was just mostly black, so I actually took it back apart, put a vinyl sticker of what the underside of the trackpad looks like, and then replaced the shell, and I can confirm that, although the vinyl is only adhesive on one side, it’s still held together by the plastic clips, and it does not keep my trackpad from working 100% effectively, so I can confirm that you can put a thin layer of something else between the trackpad and the shell, that isn’t the adhesive pad, and it can still work just fine. More importantly instead of just black squares, it looks like actual components under the track pad, even if it is just a sticker, it fits the rest of the look way better. -I don’t know if this has anything to do with me reusing the original screws, but I found that if you tighten the screws all the way down on the rear cover of the steam deck, pressing firmly on the front of the deck where the steam button and the quick access button are will actually cause the rear button to activate, so I did have to leave the screws slightly less tightened on the back, but as long as you’re not flinging your steam deck around the plastic clips do a pretty good job holding it together. - and this last note is just a fun one, I was actually able to find transparent joysticks from the same company, they only sold them for PS5 controllers from what I could find, but it works great for steam deck, however the only caveat is that you have to leave the screws slightly loose on the back of the joystick board, or just put some spacers between the board and the shell, because if you tighten them all the way down, I found that the joystick cover will scrape on the underside of the shell, but even if they’re a little loose they work just fine.
the screen is adhered to the metal frame and not the shell. the shell is screwed to the frame with an overlap under the screen. This will not be my first shell swap ive done switches and custom gameboy sp's. my recommendation for anyone looking at this mod with no prior experience is to buy a replacement screen so if you do mess up its not the end of the world.
Yeah, I can't justify doing a full shell swap either. The only time I think I could justify it would be when the DeckHD screens release but even then idk. I really like my Jsaux back with the extra cooling area and would rather keep it and just have them release a front that matches their backs.
You outdid yourself in some respects, but this quality is what you're known for, Taki. This is extremely helpful for breakdown to help save others time and frustration. You showcase a new product without having to flex your muscles vigorously. You add the right retro touch with more than enough angle shots at the end with Donkey Kong Country! I greatly appreciate your work, and the purple atomic shell looks perfect! Excellent work on teardown, too; not easy, and it's risky.
I've gotta mail mine back for RMA from NZ and pay shipping both ways, which amounts to about another $160 USD equivalent in costs. No way I'd ever consider a mod like this when so much can go wrong, but I'm very jealous of how it looks. When Valve inevitably release their successor, some colour options would be much, much appreciated.
If anybody is watching this video do not buy one.... Valve has told you that things could go wrong and you're going to be spending more money in the end if something does go wrong..
Well, there are white cases you can put over your deck without disassembly so the white casing with black buttons look is already kinda available. If I want to do a disassmebly, I would change everything to white. But that's just me.
this was very insightful and has tremendously helped me with my decision to re-case my Deck. Now I just need to wait for oem replacement shells that have better cooling plates attached at the back!
Looks good. I think it might look better with the stock black buttons on the translucent shell but that's me. I don't like the look of the clear buttons myself.
Basic black shell looks fine to me, pretty sleek. I find the trouble with custom shells is that they can make a device look a bit tacky or toylike. Fine enough for a cheap small Chinese handheld, but doesn't really suit something as expensive as premium as the Steam Deck.
After swapping out my Switch + Switch lite shells with Extremerate kits, I'm looking forward to doing this to my Steam Deck too! I personally would probably keep the stock black buttons/trackpad with the clear housing, I did that with the Switch and it looks great. Also gonna swap out the joysticks with the hall sensing ones too.
I did this shell swap a couple days ago and remembered some of your tips from this video. I threw out the metal pick immediately. The suction cup worked OK for me with some heat applied, but without heat, definitely use a better suction cup. If you watch the eXtremeRate tutorial and pause at their screen removal, they seriously botched their own screen with their metal pick, it looks soo bad, scratches EVERYWHERE. Very bad example for their own tutorial. I ended up using the JSAUX purple backplate which snapped into the eXtremeRate purple front shell perfectly, the colours are also identical between the two brands. I also used all the stock black Steam Deck buttons.
Taki you should make a video covering the recent news regarding the Aya neo 2, a lot of owners are sharing stories and pictures of their devices cracking on the plastic of the shell itself, has your unit that you covered started cracking ? Figured it would be a super interesting video discussion also customer support is refusing customers RMA’s or any replacements, as well bribing customers into removing their Reddit post sharing quality control issues by offering them free travel bags or screen protectors
I’ve had really good luck with extreme rate stuff, but you’re totally right - their included tools are terrible. They make a really nice atomic purple though
A job well done, Taki. Excellent overview on the aftermarket buttons, and what happens if you opt out of the new adhesive for the trackpads. While I don’t see myself having issues with attempting this myself (I’ve reshelled consoles and my old Game Boys), I may pass on this. While it looks cool, I’ll save myself the headache, haha. One thing I recommend is getting a matte screen protector. I can’t stand my handhelds not having one, all my devices have one installed (Miyoo mini and Plus, the 405M, Nintendo Switch, etc) and they just look better with it. All said, excellent video, hopefully you go through with the tear down tutorial to help remove unnecessary steps they’ve included. Happy gaming!
I did this myself but used the original buttons/trackpads and I prefer the look over a fully atomic purple build, all down to preference obviously. My tips: -Ignore the metal pick, I just used a plastic guitar pick and did not damage the border at all. Tbh ignore all the tools that you already have, I used their suction tool and it sucks major ass. -Be sure you plug in the battery cable *all* the way in at the end. I spent like a half hour troubleshooting why no battery indicator showed up after putting it back together
About the gap, you can 3d print a veneer to fill in the gaps and it looks actually nice. I have look into it when I start my clear blue/purple shell swap.
I did it. Thanks for the tips actually. Your screen looks fine but never go metal on glass, etc. Used the original trackpads, Jsaux's video and written instructions. A lot of ziplocks and the original screws. I ding'ed thru the paint on the screen with my tweezers cleaning adhesive once, but used my nail to remove the rest. I also put big purple marshmallow thumbstick grips and it looks and plays fine. The old jsaux black n purple shell looks cool but this looks like a purple ice sculpture... feels as good quality or better than stock. The seams and texture are very clean!! I just wanted a clear front but the entire shell is quite nice. No defects on mine! Excellent mod. Recommend. If you finally figure out the pry tool on the shell,, that's like the a-ha moment.
I have done a ton and I mean a ton of these shell swaps especially on the switch lite and I've used extream rate products a bunch. I will say their quality can be a bit poor and you have to be really careful with the transparent shells, you have to make sure to leave every screw a quarter turn loose especially when screwing the two halves together, the first couple of times I did a shell swaps with these I woke up to find the shell cracked. Trust me it doesn't take much with these shells! A small drop or even a really cold day can cause these shells to get a crack in it and once they start they just get worse with time.
I'm half way through my shell swap and I'm finding all kinds of cracks and fissures. Any other recommendations on how to avoid causing these little imperferfections?
@@bpatplus Make sure you use the screws that come with it rather than the steam deck screws they are slightly different. Don't ratchet the screws down like you see in the video, once you feel resistance stop. Also make sure you really clean the old glue off the screen, just the big chunks, otherwise your screen is going to stick out. I actually did one of these myself yesterday and I'm happy to say they seem to be better quality they the switch lite shells.
@masamasa1815 Thanks for the feedback! I was using the "kit" screws that came with it, and I didn't think I was tightening too much, but I ordered another kit and I'm going to be MUCH more gentle with this one. So fingers crossed it goes well!
incredibly helpful video. i have been eyeing this kit since i just got a steamdeck. i have done extremerate shell transfers on game controllers before but doing the screen seems a tad scary. maybe ill wait to do this when an aftermarket screen option becomes popular
Maybe it would like good with the original buttons or grey ones. It just looks super cheap now, but I know people will probably like it. Thank you for making this, it's a hard pass for me after seeing the results.
(0:49) Thank you!! The Steam Deck isn't officially sold in Singapore, and the only way I could get one were through scalpers who mark up their prices to be much higher than the official UK prices but for consoles coming with US power adaptors! To add to that, there's one company who used multiple Carousell accounts and one common thing would be that they would list the instalment price as the full price on the listing as part of their tactics. I felt like creating a separate Carousell account in order to troll them and get their accounts suspended, but convinced myself not to. That website you showed looked like Taobao to me, and Lazada over here have a built-in Taobao proxy service. I could take a look at that.
Yeah... Between my laziness and the possibility of messing something up throughout taking it completely apart and putting it back together again (not to mention how easy it is to damage the screen), I'm fine with the original front shell...
Yeah my main thought watching this, was why the hell would anyone go through all that just for a different colour? Seems crazy to me. Imagine how bad you're gonna feel when you're trying to get that screen off and you suddenly hear a crack. Smh.
Every single Atomic Purple reminds me of my OG Gameboy Colour. Gotta replace that thing... ... OH damn, buttons too! ... That is an extremely pretty Steam Deck!
This is one of those mods that I'd really want on my deck but one that I'll probably pay a tech to do it for me. JSAUX apparently has a bundle that includes an anti glare screen so that might be interesting.
Just finished doing mine to transparent black. Honestly not that difficult, it’s follow directions. Totally worth it Edit: use old credit cards to pry the screen off. The suction cup does suck, but with proper heat application you can do it
Taki Udon it would be wise to invest in a iFixit kit they have the best screen suction puller....I have the kit and when it comes to fixing electronics it is a life saver.
@@TakiUdon if I'm hearing that right you said the one that didn't have the extra strip was the one that looks all messed up and I thought that was weird for some reason but now I'm not sure.
thank you for your video, i just ordered my steam deck (darn you summer sale!!) because of this video ill probably get a clear back panel mod, but for the front ill grab a dbrand teardown skin
Great video and one I wish I had watched before I installed my case; I agree that the Extremerate tutorial goes too far during disassembly, for me, the right trackpad power wires came out of the tiny plug, so word of warning for others, either take more time removing it using the plug, or leave it connected to the DB! I seem to have lost rumble on that trackpad now, even though I have reconnected the wires. Liked the to the point nature of the vid, good work mate!
@TakiUdon Can you use the stock buttons (from Valve) in the clear shells? I love the clear cases, but I'd personally want all the buttons and trackpads to bring over from the stock shell. Love the vid, and jealous that I haven't gotten mine yet!
Seems like the best thing you can do if you were planning on changing out the screen anyways with a non reflective on that you can get from ifixit. Dont need to worry about suction cups and heat guns that way.
If I were to do this to my unit personally, I'd take the lazy route, and spend a little more on an extra display and just slap a brand new one in the new shell, and keep the original around untouched as a backup!
I was able to do some DIY repairs on my steam deck for the bumpers buttons and board controllers by using just one a Phillips PH0 or PH1, I don't remember which one exactly, but it didn't strip the screws. I just made sure that it doesn't have too much play while screwing in or out as it might strip the screws. I did notice that some PH1 screws are actually wider than others. One didn't reach the screws of the outer case because it was too wide, I had to use another one from a different kit even though it was the same Philips code.
I got the white one and I'm waiting for it to be delivered. I ordered a couple tools from ifixit because I know they are quality. Thanks so much for making this so I'm not left scratching my head! I have also done Joycon shell swaps from the same company so I know what to expect.
I think I saw a video where they took a hobby knife to the OEM buttons and the markings went through the button so they aren't just screen printed where they will wear off eventually.
I think I'm going for the JSAUX Atomic Purple because it's a deeper purple than the ExtremeRate Atomic Purple..also I already have the JSAUX backplate in Atomic Purple but still Atomic Purple FTW!!! ⚛️
Transparent with white buttons is the way to go like that PSP. That's how I have my atomic purple switch. Always looks clean af. White thumbsticks also on the joycons.
I won't be doing one of these, but they are going to be releasing button kits so I'll probably do that when they come out. Swap out the stock glossy buttons for matte black buttons.
NGL I don’t think atomic purple looks as good as I was expecting. Also, the issues with the screen is a big put off. I think I’ll stick with just using decals, particularly since I get bored and like to change them often. Thanks for the video!
What i want, is an outer sheel+battery combo that bumps the battery up to 90wh, sure it will be thicker, but honestly, the thing is so dang small in my hands i welcome the added thickness
I think transparent plastic may be more of a nostalgic remnant of people's childhood, a retro craze thing that died but people are still fond of (kind of like the colour atomic purple really). I knew people in the mid 90's and early 2000's that really got into transparent everything. Transparent watches, transparent radios, transparent games consoles and so on. I think even Nintendo sold transparent Gameboy's at one point, my friend had one. And somebody had this original frosted Xbox, so official companies were going on in.
@@skycloud4802 That's definitely it. I remember some of my friends having the atomic purple Gameboy color back in the 90s. I still think it's cool for smaller devices, but I don't think it quite fits for a beefy boy like the Steam Deck lol.
I'm probably going to go the same route as you. Buy a second hand Deck, get a replacement 512 screen from ifixit, and mod it with new shell, ssd, hall sticks, etc.
Just an FYI for those that haven’t bought a Steam Deck, get the 64 gigabyte base model for 400 bucks (you can find used base models for under 400 bucks on offer up and craigslist) and get a 2 terabyte 2230 ssd card for about $185 to $225 bucks and you’ll be able to add a 1 Terabyte A2 Micro SD then you got tons of storage to add all of your heaviest of games.
Can't believe I really thought it was gonna be as easy as pulling put the innards and dropping it into a new shell. This looks mad hard. Imma just get a dbrand skin instead
Would be nice if there was a "case and screws only' version of this kit. Anyone who does this kind of modding is going to have a decent iFixit kit or similar, several metal pry tools, and a heat gun. I know I do, as I spend time repairing phones and old iPods. The tools from this kit look like landfill to me. 😐 Great vid, though, and thank you for outlining the extra guide steps that you don't actually need to take; it will save others a lot of time and aggravation. ☺
Are you able to use the original buttons instead of the replacement ones? I like the idea of contrast between the transparent purple and the OG black buttons/trackpads.
Great Video, i was thinking about replacing the shell of my deck to make it look cooler but i think i will just stick with D-Brand stuff :D. What is that game you are playing in some of the shots? It looks really cool but i cant find it on steam.
14:10 --- I have a gap similar to that on my JSAUX backplate. I didn't realize the screen and such had to be replaced with this mod...poo -- that all looks way too complicated for me.
Amazon Store: amzn.to/3Pi7Q8s
AliExpress Store: s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DCgN1Gv
If there's enough interest, I'll edit the build into a tutorial.
Plz I need tutorial with your magic hands
~ + = i n t e r e s t = + ~
I would also love to see this process.
yess
we need a tutorial :)
me: ---watches video---
me: --deletes shell from cart--
Props to Taki for going through with a whole steam deck shell replacement. I have taken apart/put back together a fair bit of tech and trying to decipher what steps use which screws if there is conflicting information can be a nightmare.
Then buy a better system like ROG ally steam deck is not great. I own both a Rog ally and steam deck
@@gameoverguy7223 woah a $400 system isnt as good as a $700 counterpart i wouldve never though please tell me more about this revolutionary discovery
@@gameoverguy7223or just wait a little bit longer until the DeckHD screens are released and just replace your screen with a better screen than what the Ally has for still significantly cheaper.
bro use a magnetic plate or pad and set everything right-to-left or left-to-right as you take it apart, take photos w/ smartphone, look at photos when you forget certain steps.
that's what I did and I've been able to tear down and reassemble most laptops now without problems
I think it would look sexier with the stock buttons and trackpads, but das just my preference. Thanks so much for giving us your honest thoughts. I am definitely not brave enough yet to do this. But mad admiration for those who do it.
I'm with you man. If I do it I will do the Dark transparent with the Stovk Buttons and Track pad.
Agreed. Not worth the work, risk and final looks.
The Gameboy Color and Advance that this is supposed to be a reminder of had stock buttons, triggers etc. Looks much better in my opinion
I agree. I think the stock buttons and track pads would be a nice contrast to the clear purple. and I wouldn;t wanna mess with taking apart the pads.
i was just thinking that. plus a bit easier and safer with those poor track pads!
This solidifies that I will probably *NEVER* do a front shell replacement on my decks 😆! Thanks for taking the risk and sharing your experience.
I was legit holding my breath so much throughout this whole video. I was actually close to buying this product but honestly this has shown that I probably couldn't do this myself.
Don’t be a wuss lol
Yeah, my Switch OLED was hard enough, I don't have the patience to do all of this 😂
Steam support should offer the shell swap as a service. Knowing myself I'd probably swap mine every 6 months or so
Wow, I just gained so much appreciation for my stock SteamDeck.
That right trackpad aesthetic would immediately make me take apart the Steam Deck just to redo that area. And yeah, the bad thing about transparent shells are the blemishes that can show up if you screw in a screw too tight. I’ve seen my fair share of them when replacing Nintendo Switch joycons and the backplate.
problem with extremrate shells is that you're not gonna have a good time closing it a second time.
Any recommendations on how to avoid? I'm working on my Steam Deck shell swap now and I'm getting all kinds of little cracks and fissures in the plastic. I don't feel like I'm overtightening or being forceful, so any tips you have would be great!
Just got done putting a clear transparent shell on my steam deck, from extremerate, it went very well, I’m very happy with the end product. A few notes:
-Extremerate did supply many of their own screws, I literally used none of them, I was able to just reuse all screws from the original steam deck shell
- I did move forward with removing the shell part of the trackpad to replace it with the transparent one, it went well however I wasn’t happy with just the fact that it was just mostly black, so I actually took it back apart, put a vinyl sticker of what the underside of the trackpad looks like, and then replaced the shell, and I can confirm that, although the vinyl is only adhesive on one side, it’s still held together by the plastic clips, and it does not keep my trackpad from working 100% effectively, so I can confirm that you can put a thin layer of something else between the trackpad and the shell, that isn’t the adhesive pad, and it can still work just fine. More importantly instead of just black squares, it looks like actual components under the track pad, even if it is just a sticker, it fits the rest of the look way better.
-I don’t know if this has anything to do with me reusing the original screws, but I found that if you tighten the screws all the way down on the rear cover of the steam deck, pressing firmly on the front of the deck where the steam button and the quick access button are will actually cause the rear button to activate, so I did have to leave the screws slightly less tightened on the back, but as long as you’re not flinging your steam deck around the plastic clips do a pretty good job holding it together.
- and this last note is just a fun one, I was actually able to find transparent joysticks from the same company, they only sold them for PS5 controllers from what I could find, but it works great for steam deck, however the only caveat is that you have to leave the screws slightly loose on the back of the joystick board, or just put some spacers between the board and the shell, because if you tighten them all the way down, I found that the joystick cover will scrape on the underside of the shell, but even if they’re a little loose they work just fine.
if replacement shells were sold with a pre applied OLED display with VRR, I would be all in.
There are screws behind the screen that hold in the frame.
the screen is adhered to the metal frame and not the shell. the shell is screwed to the frame with an overlap under the screen. This will not be my first shell swap ive done switches and custom gameboy sp's. my recommendation for anyone looking at this mod with no prior experience is to buy a replacement screen so if you do mess up its not the end of the world.
It's cool to see these shell mods. I definitely won't be bothering to do one because of the effort involved.
Yeah, I can't justify doing a full shell swap either. The only time I think I could justify it would be when the DeckHD screens release but even then idk. I really like my Jsaux back with the extra cooling area and would rather keep it and just have them release a front that matches their backs.
I've had good experience using extreme rate gbc shells. Good to see their quality doesn't drop when the product class scales up.
given their switch shells (i have one) yeah no doubt
You outdid yourself in some respects, but this quality is what you're known for, Taki. This is extremely helpful for breakdown to help save others time and frustration. You showcase a new product without having to flex your muscles vigorously. You add the right retro touch with more than enough angle shots at the end with Donkey Kong Country! I greatly appreciate your work, and the purple atomic shell looks perfect! Excellent work on teardown, too; not easy, and it's risky.
I've gotta mail mine back for RMA from NZ and pay shipping both ways, which amounts to about another $160 USD equivalent in costs. No way I'd ever consider a mod like this when so much can go wrong, but I'm very jealous of how it looks. When Valve inevitably release their successor, some colour options would be much, much appreciated.
Clear shells are coming back in style, I really hope we see some different color ways on deck 2. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t.
If anybody is watching this video do not buy one.... Valve has told you that things could go wrong and you're going to be spending more money in the end if something does go wrong..
@@mrsittingmongooseif there is a steam deck 2
Definitely gonna go with the white and keep the original buttons. The case itself looks fantastic, but I need those OEM buttons.
yup, OEm buttons and trackpad would make it look cleaner
Well, there are white cases you can put over your deck without disassembly so the white casing with black buttons look is already kinda available. If I want to do a disassmebly, I would change everything to white. But that's just me.
Looks great Taki! Appreciate the extra effort on getting another Deck to test the Extreme Case 😁
Extreme rate has been my favorite shell maker brand. Always super high quality and relatively cheap
this was very insightful and has tremendously helped me with my decision to re-case my Deck. Now I just need to wait for oem replacement shells that have better cooling plates attached at the back!
11:36 Rock and Stone brother!!!
Looks good. I think it might look better with the stock black buttons on the translucent shell but that's me. I don't like the look of the clear buttons myself.
Basic black shell looks fine to me, pretty sleek. I find the trouble with custom shells is that they can make a device look a bit tacky or toylike. Fine enough for a cheap small Chinese handheld, but doesn't really suit something as expensive as premium as the Steam Deck.
I'd keep the original front buttons and the stock trackpads tbh, I prefer the two-tone look with transparent mods
It would SUPER helpful if you were to make your own improved tutorial on the shell swap Taki!
The shell replacement takes about 3 hours
After swapping out my Switch + Switch lite shells with Extremerate kits, I'm looking forward to doing this to my Steam Deck too! I personally would probably keep the stock black buttons/trackpad with the clear housing, I did that with the Switch and it looks great. Also gonna swap out the joysticks with the hall sensing ones too.
Hall sticks are worth the money especially since you can get them for less then stock replacments
@@AdamKueflef Yes! I ordered them waiting for it to arrive. I swapped out the ones on my Switch Joycons and they've been amazing since.
I really enjoyed this video. Thanks. I'm too inexperienced to actually do this. But yours is amazing
A full tutorial would be extremely helpful. Great video!
I did this shell swap a couple days ago and remembered some of your tips from this video. I threw out the metal pick immediately. The suction cup worked OK for me with some heat applied, but without heat, definitely use a better suction cup. If you watch the eXtremeRate tutorial and pause at their screen removal, they seriously botched their own screen with their metal pick, it looks soo bad, scratches EVERYWHERE. Very bad example for their own tutorial. I ended up using the JSAUX purple backplate which snapped into the eXtremeRate purple front shell perfectly, the colours are also identical between the two brands. I also used all the stock black Steam Deck buttons.
The only change I'll do is a button change. I love how the shell feels. I want good buttons tho
Taki you should make a video covering the recent news regarding the Aya neo 2, a lot of owners are sharing stories and pictures of their devices cracking on the plastic of the shell itself, has your unit that you covered started cracking ? Figured it would be a super interesting video discussion also customer support is refusing customers RMA’s or any replacements, as well bribing customers into removing their Reddit post sharing quality control issues by offering them free travel bags or screen protectors
Good choice of Donkey Kong Country water level music for showing off your Steam Deck success!
I’ve had really good luck with extreme rate stuff, but you’re totally right - their included tools are terrible. They make a really nice atomic purple though
A job well done, Taki. Excellent overview on the aftermarket buttons, and what happens if you opt out of the new adhesive for the trackpads. While I don’t see myself having issues with attempting this myself (I’ve reshelled consoles and my old Game Boys), I may pass on this. While it looks cool, I’ll save myself the headache, haha.
One thing I recommend is getting a matte screen protector. I can’t stand my handhelds not having one, all my devices have one installed (Miyoo mini and Plus, the 405M, Nintendo Switch, etc) and they just look better with it.
All said, excellent video, hopefully you go through with the tear down tutorial to help remove unnecessary steps they’ve included. Happy gaming!
I did this myself but used the original buttons/trackpads and I prefer the look over a fully atomic purple build, all down to preference obviously.
My tips:
-Ignore the metal pick, I just used a plastic guitar pick and did not damage the border at all. Tbh ignore all the tools that you already have, I used their suction tool and it sucks major ass.
-Be sure you plug in the battery cable *all* the way in at the end. I spent like a half hour troubleshooting why no battery indicator showed up after putting it back together
About the gap, you can 3d print a veneer to fill in the gaps and it looks actually nice. I have look into it when I start my clear blue/purple shell swap.
I did it. Thanks for the tips actually. Your screen looks fine but never go metal on glass, etc. Used the original trackpads, Jsaux's video and written instructions. A lot of ziplocks and the original screws. I ding'ed thru the paint on the screen with my tweezers cleaning adhesive once, but used my nail to remove the rest. I also put big purple marshmallow thumbstick grips and it looks and plays fine. The old jsaux black n purple shell looks cool but this looks like a purple ice sculpture... feels as good quality or better than stock. The seams and texture are very clean!! I just wanted a clear front but the entire shell is quite nice. No defects on mine! Excellent mod. Recommend. If you finally figure out the pry tool on the shell,, that's like the a-ha moment.
I have done a ton and I mean a ton of these shell swaps especially on the switch lite and I've used extream rate products a bunch. I will say their quality can be a bit poor and you have to be really careful with the transparent shells, you have to make sure to leave every screw a quarter turn loose especially when screwing the two halves together, the first couple of times I did a shell swaps with these I woke up to find the shell cracked. Trust me it doesn't take much with these shells! A small drop or even a really cold day can cause these shells to get a crack in it and once they start they just get worse with time.
I'm half way through my shell swap and I'm finding all kinds of cracks and fissures. Any other recommendations on how to avoid causing these little imperferfections?
@@bpatplus Make sure you use the screws that come with it rather than the steam deck screws they are slightly different. Don't ratchet the screws down like you see in the video, once you feel resistance stop. Also make sure you really clean the old glue off the screen, just the big chunks, otherwise your screen is going to stick out. I actually did one of these myself yesterday and I'm happy to say they seem to be better quality they the switch lite shells.
@masamasa1815 Thanks for the feedback! I was using the "kit" screws that came with it, and I didn't think I was tightening too much, but I ordered another kit and I'm going to be MUCH more gentle with this one. So fingers crossed it goes well!
Prison gonna have a whole new meta now
incredibly helpful video. i have been eyeing this kit since i just got a steamdeck. i have done extremerate shell transfers on game controllers before but doing the screen seems a tad scary. maybe ill wait to do this when an aftermarket screen option becomes popular
I think you should have kept original black buttons. Would look nice with transparent case.
Maybe it would like good with the original buttons or grey ones. It just looks super cheap now, but I know people will probably like it. Thank you for making this, it's a hard pass for me after seeing the results.
i agree , i think the new shell is great but the new buttons are an abomination
Damn that looks awesome
I'm really tempted to do this on my deck
I'm hoping that while he's got it apart he does a screen swap to the higher resolution screen just so that we can get a look at that.
This video helped me make decision not to re-shell at moment till I have free afternoon, thank you
Tutorial
1. Find someone who is willing to do it for you.
2. Throw money at them.
3. Drink beer and wait. 😊
LOL
What game is that? Great build!
(0:49) Thank you!! The Steam Deck isn't officially sold in Singapore, and the only way I could get one were through scalpers who mark up their prices to be much higher than the official UK prices but for consoles coming with US power adaptors!
To add to that, there's one company who used multiple Carousell accounts and one common thing would be that they would list the instalment price as the full price on the listing as part of their tactics. I felt like creating a separate Carousell account in order to troll them and get their accounts suspended, but convinced myself not to.
That website you showed looked like Taobao to me, and Lazada over here have a built-in Taobao proxy service. I could take a look at that.
I was thinking about doing this but after seeing your video, hell no. I didn't realize it would be so in depth on taking it apart.
Yeah... Between my laziness and the possibility of messing something up throughout taking it completely apart and putting it back together again (not to mention how easy it is to damage the screen), I'm fine with the original front shell...
Yeah my main thought watching this, was why the hell would anyone go through all that just for a different colour? Seems crazy to me. Imagine how bad you're gonna feel when you're trying to get that screen off and you suddenly hear a crack. Smh.
Every single Atomic Purple reminds me of my OG Gameboy Colour. Gotta replace that thing...
...
OH damn, buttons too!
...
That is an extremely pretty Steam Deck!
extremerate is a good company that works and doesn’t feel cheap, only company i’ll go to for these kinda things
This is one of those mods that I'd really want on my deck but one that I'll probably pay a tech to do it for me.
JSAUX apparently has a bundle that includes an anti glare screen so that might be interesting.
Ooooh yeah that scratches the itch, Taki! Can't wait to see how the Jsaux version is.
Looking forward to doing my review on this shell, looks so good in atomic purple.
Just finished doing mine to transparent black. Honestly not that difficult, it’s follow directions. Totally worth it
Edit: use old credit cards to pry the screen off. The suction cup does suck, but with proper heat application you can do it
Such a nostalgic colour! I absolutely love it.
Jokes on you. I still can't get a Steam deck officially in Australia either! 😢
You and your videos are a treasure Taki. Thank you for sharing!
Lovely to see where the decks are going, cant even get one myself but these people have WALLS of them.
Taki Udon it would be wise to invest in a iFixit kit they have the best screen suction puller....I have the kit and when it comes to fixing electronics it is a life saver.
This is the way.
I love the “Atomic Purple” shell you picked!
The trackpad on the right looks all messed up versus the left one other than that it looks solid.
I did that on purpose to show the difference between applying a second adhesive strip, or reusing the existing one.
@@TakiUdon if I'm hearing that right you said the one that didn't have the extra strip was the one that looks all messed up and I thought that was weird for some reason but now I'm not sure.
So good. I'll be replacing my shell if I ever get a second one. Don't want to mess up my perfectly my good Q2 deck. I really want an all-white.
thank you for your video, i just ordered my steam deck (darn you summer sale!!) because of this video ill probably get a clear back panel mod, but for the front ill grab a dbrand teardown skin
Great video and one I wish I had watched before I installed my case; I agree that the Extremerate tutorial goes too far during disassembly, for me, the right trackpad power wires came out of the tiny plug, so word of warning for others, either take more time removing it using the plug, or leave it connected to the DB! I seem to have lost rumble on that trackpad now, even though I have reconnected the wires.
Liked the to the point nature of the vid, good work mate!
@TakiUdon Can you use the stock buttons (from Valve) in the clear shells? I love the clear cases, but I'd personally want all the buttons and trackpads to bring over from the stock shell. Love the vid, and jealous that I haven't gotten mine yet!
Yes.
I am half tempted to buy this, colored buttons, and commission two thumbsticks for that GC feel.
Seems like the best thing you can do if you were planning on changing out the screen anyways with a non reflective on that you can get from ifixit. Dont need to worry about suction cups and heat guns that way.
I am now 1000% jelly you have an atomic purple clear Steam Deck 🤯
If I were to do this to my unit personally, I'd take the lazy route, and spend a little more on an extra display and just slap a brand new one in the new shell, and keep the original around untouched as a backup!
I was able to do some DIY repairs on my steam deck for the bumpers buttons and board controllers by using just one a Phillips PH0 or PH1, I don't remember which one exactly, but it didn't strip the screws. I just made sure that it doesn't have too much play while screwing in or out as it might strip the screws. I did notice that some PH1 screws are actually wider than others. One didn't reach the screws of the outer case because it was too wide, I had to use another one from a different kit even though it was the same Philips code.
I got the white one and I'm waiting for it to be delivered. I ordered a couple tools from ifixit because I know they are quality. Thanks so much for making this so I'm not left scratching my head! I have also done Joycon shell swaps from the same company so I know what to expect.
I installed mine and also ordered iFixit tools, definetly 100x times better than extremrates tools
I think I saw a video where they took a hobby knife to the OEM buttons and the markings went through the button so they aren't just screen printed where they will wear off eventually.
Your English is so good that I didn't expect you to live in a non-English country
I'm American, I've just lived here for a few years.
@@TakiUdon ah, makes sense. Good video!
I think I'm going for the JSAUX Atomic Purple because it's a deeper purple than the ExtremeRate Atomic Purple..also I already have the JSAUX backplate in Atomic Purple but still Atomic Purple FTW!!! ⚛️
It’s impressive people can just take stuff apart like this and put it back together. I could take it apart but it ain’t ever going back together.
Thanks for the thorough look and insights.
If the SteamDeck had shipped in this purple case from the start, I would have purchased one at launch.
Transparent with white buttons is the way to go like that PSP. That's how I have my atomic purple switch. Always looks clean af. White thumbsticks also on the joycons.
I'm gonna go with jsaux. I feel like extremerate cut a lot of corners on this. Great video though! Very informative
You are a braver man than myself.. I suppose if its possible you can get a new better screen and better ssd and possibly battery in the shell swap?
I won't be doing one of these, but they are going to be releasing button kits so I'll probably do that when they come out. Swap out the stock glossy buttons for matte black buttons.
It's nice to have clear shell design options but I think default shell + vinyl stickers look nicer
I am having cold sweat just by imagining i have to disassemble everything for this...
thx for the vid, i have the same shell on my desk. after i see it here, i will stay for the stock buttons instead of the clear ones.
its great how they managed to fit a pc inside a skateboard
NGL I don’t think atomic purple looks as good as I was expecting. Also, the issues with the screen is a big put off. I think I’ll stick with just using decals, particularly since I get bored and like to change them often. Thanks for the video!
What i want, is an outer sheel+battery combo that bumps the battery up to 90wh, sure it will be thicker, but honestly, the thing is so dang small in my hands i welcome the added thickness
Jesus, you must have absolute shovel hands...
@@jimdoom2276 Yep, not as bad as my uncle though, cartoonishly round like saussages, despite not being an overly plump person.
I would love to see a full breakdown of how to swap the shell
I'd recommend you get a case and get your local tech/repair shop to do it.
Trust me.
I never really got the appeal of clean shells, imagine if your skin was transparent, that's horrifying
Lol same here. I like to think that the stock shells sort of "hide" the magic of the tech
I think transparent plastic may be more of a nostalgic remnant of people's childhood, a retro craze thing that died but people are still fond of (kind of like the colour atomic purple really).
I knew people in the mid 90's and early 2000's that really got into transparent everything. Transparent watches, transparent radios, transparent games consoles and so on. I think even Nintendo sold transparent Gameboy's at one point, my friend had one. And somebody had this original frosted Xbox, so official companies were going on in.
Transparent tech makes me appreciate the device more
@@skycloud4802 That's definitely it. I remember some of my friends having the atomic purple Gameboy color back in the 90s. I still think it's cool for smaller devices, but I don't think it quite fits for a beefy boy like the Steam Deck lol.
I'm ok with transparent but if it's not easy as removing phone case then i won't use one.
I'm probably going to go the same route as you. Buy a second hand Deck, get a replacement 512 screen from ifixit, and mod it with new shell, ssd, hall sticks, etc.
Just an FYI for those that haven’t bought a Steam Deck, get the 64 gigabyte base model for 400 bucks (you can find used base models for under 400 bucks on offer up and craigslist) and get a 2 terabyte 2230 ssd card for about $185 to $225 bucks and you’ll be able to add a 1 Terabyte A2 Micro SD then you got tons of storage to add all of your heaviest of games.
i feel like this would be decent if you wanted to do the hd screen mod at the same time
I always use a playing card to take screens off. That should work here too if you're patient
What game is on your deck at 12:21?
Can't believe I really thought it was gonna be as easy as pulling put the innards and dropping it into a new shell. This looks mad hard. Imma just get a dbrand skin instead
I bet they start including a screen update with these kits. More profit and also make things easier for people installing.
Would be nice if there was a "case and screws only' version of this kit. Anyone who does this kind of modding is going to have a decent iFixit kit or similar, several metal pry tools, and a heat gun. I know I do, as I spend time repairing phones and old iPods. The tools from this kit look like landfill to me. 😐
Great vid, though, and thank you for outlining the extra guide steps that you don't actually need to take; it will save others a lot of time and aggravation. ☺
Are you able to use the original buttons instead of the replacement ones? I like the idea of contrast between the transparent purple and the OG black buttons/trackpads.
I wouldn't do it but I am glad you did. Thanks for the video.
This video is just Taki flexing their two 512gb antiglare decks.
Great Video, i was thinking about replacing the shell of my deck to make it look cooler but i think i will just stick with D-Brand stuff :D.
What is that game you are playing in some of the shots? It looks really cool but i cant find it on steam.
14:10 --- I have a gap similar to that on my JSAUX backplate. I didn't realize the screen and such had to be replaced with this mod...poo -- that all looks way too complicated for me.
1:15 that Mercedes is like 200 grand. It’s called a maybach gls600 if you want to look into it