Valve really wants you to stop huffing your Steam Deck exhaust fumes. No, really. Maybe stop doing that if you are.
In a Dec. 12 Reddit post, one Steam Deck user shared that they got the official verdict from Steam Support on whether or not it’s “safe to inhale the exhaust fumes” from the device. The user also clarified in their help request that the practice has become a running joke among other Steam Deck owners. Three days later, Steam Support finally put the debate to rest.
“As with all electronics, it is generally not recommended you inhale the exhaust fumes on your device,” the response said. “While there are no safety concerns with general usage, directly inhaling the device’s vent fumes should be avoided. We understand that it may be a meme, but please refrain from this behavior for the safety of your health.”
As far as the scentific basis for this decision goes, we can’t find any reports confirming that inhaling the hot air produced by portable electronic devices can lead to long-term negative effects. But that doesn’t mean huffing your Steam Deck is guaranteed risk-free, either.
Since the Steam Deck’s release in February 2022, owners haven’t shied away from the fact that the vent fumes on the portable gaming device have an oddly satisfying scent: a Reddit thread in r/SteamDeck from two years ago reads, “Does anyone else with a steam deck like to smell the hot air that blows out the top of it?” Fellow Steam Deck patrons eagerly agreed, comparing the smell to “walking into an old school blockbuster” and “ripe plastic.”
What started as a guilty pleasure for some Steam Deck owners quickly evolved into a viral meme. In the months following the device’s launch, more and more gamers began fessing up to taking sneaky sniffs.
“I just huffed the new electronics fumes directly from the Steam Deck’s vent,” one user wrote on X/Twitter in June 2022. “That’s goooood shiiiiiitttttt”
I just huffed the new electronics fumes directly from the Steam Deck’s vent.
That’s goooood shiiiiiitttttt
— Lawrence Sonntag (@SirLarr) June 21, 2022
“It’s gone. It’s fucking gone, mate. Like tears in rain,” a Redditor posted, mourning the loss of the fresh hardware smell. “13 months after opening it. One day – good smell, number one in Japan, steady hand. Then – boom.”
Another user hypothesized that nostalgia is at the root of why they like the scent so much, explaining that the distinct odor reminds them of playing games in their childhood attic. The rationale doesn’t seem too far off base, given how profoundly our sense of smell links to the amygdala, a region of the brain that processes emotions.
Then again, logic went out the window last year when news broke that Nintendo Switch users were licking their cartridges, surprised by their bitter flavor. A Nintendo representative later affirmed the discovery with IGN, explaining that the cartridges are coated in a non-toxic “bittering agent” called Denatonium Benzoate to decentivize consumption.
Long story short, your consoles and accessories are meant for gaming – not for huffing, licking, or gnawing.
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