Valve warns people to stop inhaling the fumes of Steam Deck exhaust vent

One of the stranger technological stories of recent times, Steam Deck manufacturer Valve has urged people to stop breathing in the fumes released from the exhaust vent on the machine.

The practice has turned into a meme in recent weeks since steam decks are notorious for their smell. Steam Deck is prone to emit a distinctive smell from its insides, and taking a breath through the vent has become a common hobby for some people users on the social networks.

While the handheld PC has been subjected to stringent safety tests before going to market, inhaling hot fumes from inside the machine is a risk that was not discussed at an engineering meeting.

Dexerto says it was Valve Support was asked by a user "Is it safe to breathe smoke from the top vent inside the Steam Deck? It's somewhat of a meme to breathe in the exhaust, but I'm guessing I... enjoy it?"

Valve's response suggested that it wasn't a good idea in no uncertain phrases, including "As with all electronic equipment it is generally not recommended that you inhale the exhaust fumes from the device. While there are no dangers associated with the general use of but directly inhaling the fumes from your device's vent should be avoided.

"We know that this may be a meme, but please refrain from this behaviour to protect your health.

While it is unclear the cause of the smell, theories abound on Reddit which suggest it's the heating of the material used inside the case, rather than anything else internal, like thermal paste or any of the interior metals or other components.

As with all warnings however, the other side is usually that it draws many more to this issue. But smoking any type of smoke will not be beneficial for your well-being, and doing so for the sake of meme value is not something Valve believes that you should do.