While the Steam Deck deserves a lot of praise for the things it does right, like SSD upgrades and Valve’s warranty policies, we should absolutely not take it as an example of the perfectly repairable device.

The battery is glued with super strong adhesive, and it’s an absolute pain to take out. In fact, you’ll inevitably bend it which permanently reduces capacity. If you soak everything in isopropyl, you now risk damaging the screen and a few other components, and the adhesive still won’t fully give out. In 2003, the GameBoy Advance had easily replaceable battery packs.

Also, parts being available on iFixit is a major step forward. iFixit’s arbitrary internacional shipping policies are a major step backwards. Parts should be available on multiple sources, just like the device itself is sold from multiple sources.

Also, if the Dreamcast used hall effect joysticks in 1998, the Steam Deck should’ve used them in 2023 when virtually all game controllers are suffering from drift. Speaking of drift, do you know how many issues on the Deck are caused by not up to standard tolerances when assembling the shell? Several of them: from failing analogue triggers to screen bleed.

I absolutely love my Deck, and in the world of consoles, it’s a miracle just how open it is. But it still is far from what we used to expect from PCs and other consumer goods.

Valve employees have said in interviews that they didn’t want the battery glued down, but that with the battery expanding and shrinking during use they couldn’t keep it from rattling around unless they glued it down. Other companies have managed this, so it’s not an impossible issue. However it wasn’t something valve was able to easily solve.

As far as hall effect joysticks go, I’m not going to complain when none of the modern first party console controllers come with hall-effect. Microsoft and Sony have pro controllers for $150-200 that don’t come with hall effect sensors. Valve making the thumbsticks easily replaceable is enough imo. Things could be much worse, the Asus Ally uses the same type of thumbsticks as Nintendo Joycons for example.

I’m not going to complain when none of the modern first party console controllers come with hall-effect

I will, when there are cheap third party controllers that have hall effect, and some random company managed to make them for the Steam Deck itself.

There's a massive difference between being able to get the quantity to serve the small number of people willing to tinker and buy niche controllers and being able to get the quantity to serve a mass market.