I find a mix of heat and isopropyl alcohol (at least 70%, though I prefer 99% if I’m working inside an electronic since it evaporates quickly and is less likely to cause a short due to residual liquid when you’re done with the repair. Do note that 99% will likely require you to use more alcohol overall and may not be ideal.) works best to remove adhered batteries. I would say using a heating pad is a safer option than a heat gun in most cases (if set to about 72-76 degrees Fahrenheit, for about 10-15 minutes). Usually you lay the device face down (never put it on where the battery is directly touching the heating pad, too much heat can cause the battery to catch fire or explode) to loosen up the adhesive. All that being said I’m not sure how well it would work with the steam deck though since the control sticks make it hard to lay down flat, plus I don’t know how the heat will affect the screen (most devices like phones are usually fine as long as it’s not too hot and not too long).

If the battery is expanding you should probably not use heat and just isopropyl alcohol as inflating batteries are more at risk to catch fire or explode. If you can’t, or don’t want to use heat then you can just use the alcohol to slowly pick away at it, but it’s going to require more patience and take longer. Also you’re more likely to tear up the plastic card you’re using to get the battery out.

The iFixit Guide to replace the battery on an Steam Deck (OLED)

TL;DR: Mostly screws, but the battery itself is adhered in with several adhesive strips. Be careful if you follow this guide at home as using too much heat can damage the device and/or the battery.

In summary: No, it’s not that easy to replace. As someone who fixes a lot of electronics I hate this practice of adhering batteries (much less anything replaceable) into a device.

I have big hands, and just looking at this picture makes me think even I’m going to have trouble using the control sticks normally. They’re literally the closest thing to the center of the controller.

That being said, it’s just my first impression of it, and this looks like it might just be a prototype, so I’ll wait and see.

I used to work in a computer repair shop. Unfortunately this is a lot more common than you might think, and it’s almost always due to poor quality plastic and nothing to do with the end user. Sadly I’ve yet to see a case where this is covered under the warranty either, but it’s worth a shot if you want to go through the headache of their customer support.

You can try epoxy like someone else mention, but it comes with a few problems you might encounter. First you can’t put too much epoxy or it’ll spill over onto the computer components (which could damage them) and as a result it may not hold. Second, even if it does hold you’re putting it over screws, which means you most likely won’t be able to remove those screws down the road if you ever have to repair or upgrade it.

You could also just leave the laptop permanently open and never touch the hinge. Some people already this anyways with their devices so for them it’s not worth the hassle. As long as nothing else is damaged and you’re careful with it, this can work too.

Ultimately, the best solution is to just replace the plastic casing part where it ripped out of, which is usually either the housing around the keyboard and track-pad, or the one behind the LCD. Sadly because all the parts are likely made with poor quality plastic this is likely to happen again down the road. In your case it looks like the former, the housing around the keyboard. For some devices the keyboard isn’t easily removable from this housing, so it’s probably going to require you replace the keyboard as well, unless you like dealing with tiny rivets.

Oh, and you probably don’t need to replace the hinge itself. like I said it’s usually the brittle plastic in the housing that’s at fault, not the hinge seizing and refusing to move.

Came here to say Outer Wilds. That game is a masterpiece and I encourage anyone and everyone to try it. Only two things I’ll say are this: The less you know about it going in, the better the experience. The DLC is also worth it.