Valve recommends users not huff Steam Deck exhaust vents for TikTok views

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"We understand it may be a meme..."

Valve's Steam Deck is always a subject of great discussions!
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Steam Deck maker Valve has made a plea — in the form of a support response — that users not deliberately inhale the exhaust fumes from the Steam Deck's vent. Apparently sniffing Steam Decks is a trend currently making the rounds on TikTok.

Here's the exact wording: 

"As with all electronics, it is generally not recommended you inhale the exhaust fumes on your device. 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."

We're not sure how much Valve's warning will discourage TikTok users given that the internet has a history of intentionally following bad/unhealthy/downright dangerous trends (and it's not limited to TikTok users). But just because you can... doesn't mean you should.

A Stories from Vent Sniffers is as Old as the OG Steam Deck Itself!

Steam Deck "vent sniffers" have been steadily increasing since the Deck launched in 2022 — at least, according to multiple discussion threads, posts, and tweets. People apparently can't resist the temptation of inhaling the fumes from the Steam Deck's exhaust vents, jokingly claiming that said fumes smell like fresh laundry and Cheetos, and cause hallucinations of Gaben himself. And the trend seems to be continuing with the newer Steam Deck OLED. 

While most discussions on Steam Deck vent sniffing are, understandably, not very serious, Valve's response shouldn't be ignored. While some people claim it's harmless, like any vents pushing air out of any device, there's a chance of micro levels of toxic fumes, dust, or impurities that would probably be better not directly inhaled into your lungs. This advisory from Valve applies to any portable device (or, well, any device) with a vent. 

This wouldn't be the first time people took a sniff from their electronic devices — though it's not always intentional. A quick look at Apple's support forums shows that there have been reports of Macbook Pros smelling like lemons and the iPhone 13 smelling like battery acid/nail polish. In those cases it seems like something was almost certainly wrong, so make sure to take action if you notice a strange smell emanating from your device, whether you're inhaling intentionally or not. 

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Roshan Ashraf Shaikh
Roshan Ashraf Shaikh
Contributing Writer

Roshan Ashraf Shaikh has been in the Indian PC hardware community since the early 2000s and has been building PCs, contributing to many Indian tech forums, & blogs. He operated Hardware BBQ for 11 years and wrote news for eTeknix & TweakTown before joining Tom's Hardware team. Besides tech, he is interested in fighting games, movies, anime, and mechanical watches.

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10 Comments Comment from the forums
  • gg83
    Darwin would have a stroke if he watched tiktok. Lmao
    Reply
  • magbarn
    No one else sniffs their new fancy electronics?
    Reply
  • Sluggotg
    Mixed feelings. I understand chip makers wanting to have some ability to deny a warranty on an abused product. That fuse blown does not mean Abuse. It just shows some overclocking.
    I am more concerned about data collection in modern cars. The Government can order the car manufactures to allow access to your car's parameters. Speed, GPS locations, driving patterns etc.
    Total Can of Worms!
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    Sluggotg said:
    Mixed feelings. I understand chip makers wanting to have some ability to deny a warranty on an abused product. That fuse blown does not mean Abuse. It just shows some overclocking.
    I am more concerned about data collection in modern cars. The Government can order the car manufactures to allow access to your car's parameters. Speed, GPS locations, driving patterns etc.
    Total Can of Worms!
    Different article.
    https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/amd-says-overclocking-blows-hidden-fuses-on-ryzen-threadripper-7000-to-show-if-youve-overclocked-the-chip-but-it-wont-automatically-void-your-cp.3830697/
    Reply
  • TheOtherOne
    What did I just read? :homer:

    TClywtIgWe4bcR1HXxView: https://media.giphy.com/media/TClywtIgWe4bcR1HXx/giphy.gif
    Reply
  • hotaru251
    Beginning to think we as a society need to stop holding peoples hands and start letting a few decades of natural selection take course....people are being more and more stupid w/o it.
    Reply
  • KyaraM
    Who in their right mind... no. On second thought, don't actually answer that question.
    Reply
  • bit_user
    like any vents pushing air out of any device, there's a chance of micro levels of toxic fumes, dust, or impurities that would probably be better not directly inhaled into your lungs.
    I've heard NASA refers to this as "effluent" and has strict limits on what & how much electronics aboard the International Space Station can emit, due to it being a closed system with limited air filtration capabilities.
    Reply
  • bit_user
    hotaru251 said:
    Beginning to think we as a society need to stop holding peoples hands and start letting a few decades of natural selection take course....people are being more and more stupid w/o it.
    Since most of these are probably children, no.

    Kids' brains aren't sufficiently developed either to know everything they ought to about keeping themselves safe, or to make the same quality risk assessments as adults. They do need & deserve more protection from harming themselves.
    Reply
  • drivinfast247
    bit_user said:
    Since most of these are probably children, no.

    Kids' brains aren't sufficiently developed either to know everything they ought to about keeping themselves safe, or to make the same quality risk assessments as adults. They do need & deserve more protection from harming themselves.
    Anyone doing something "trendy" on TikTok deserves all the bad that can come from it. Absolute pure garbage!!

    Remove the warning labels and let nature sort it out.
    Reply