A fully transparent Steam Deck could soon be yours with these new front plates

By Sean Hollister, a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.

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"My favorite new Steam Deck mod is this $30 see-through heatsink backplate," I wrote in January. "Wake me up when someone makes a transparent front shell," some readers told me.

Well, your nap is nearly over: Jsaux just confirmed to Overkill.wtf that a transparent front shell is on the way, providing the image you see atop this story (which we’re using with Overkill's blessing). And ExtremeRate tweeted this earlier today:

Yes, atomic purple is an option!

Jsaux is the same company that made my back plate and carries all manner of other bespoke Steam Deck accessories, including a recently released magnetic cooler that snaps onto its transparent back plates while illuminating them with RGB LEDs.

Meanwhile, ExtremeRate made its name selling loads of replacement shell kits. I recently enjoyed swapping my Joy-Con shells for their transparent emerald green ones, mostly because it was past time to replace my drifting Nintendo joysticks with GuliKit Hall effect sensor alternatives:

We don't know what either Steam Deck front shell will cost just yet. But Jsaux tells us that its version will arrive in July, in crystal, brown, and purple. And, it comes with an entire tray full of tools and spaces to slot loose Steam Deck parts while you dissect your handheld:

Please note that Valve would frown on such an undertaking, and even iFixit warns that it's not for the faint of heart. A front shell replacement "involves almost a complete disassembly, including removing the display," writes iFixit. It's not anywhere near the same level of difficulty as an easy fan or SSD or joystick replacement, which involve just a thimbleful of screws and a little prying after you remove your SD card. Do not forget to remove your SD card.

I probably won't do this mod myself, honestly, unless it ships with a foolproof way to remove the display. I’m still super happy with my back plate, though, which comes in many more colors than it did before.

In the Reddit post where Jsaux teases the new transparent front shell, the company also says it's got more RGB mods on the way — in case you’re still worried about DIYing some RGB after the early failure of "RGBDeck."

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