Dbrand’s ‘million-dollar’ Steam Deck mistake is hilarious and fascinating
The magnetic kickstand of dbrand’s Steam Deck case can slow down the fan of the gaming handheld.
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Steam Deckowners were supposed to be able to have a new case from dbrand this week. Unfortunately, an issue with Project Killswitch stopped the launch of the case. dbrand made a sudden announcementon Twitterand then followed up with a longer Reddit post breaking down the “million-dollar mistake.”
If you’re only interested in what will happen if you ordered a case from dbrand, you can skip to the bullet points below, which were shared in the company’sReddit post on the situation. We’ll dive into the nitty gritty of what caused the problems after the list. The long-in-short is that people who placed an order for a Killswitch can either get a refund or a replacement.
dbrand’s plans for Project Killswitch
The root cause of the problems with Project Killswitch are related to the magnets used to attach a kickstand to the case.The Vergenoticed that the magnetic kickstand of the case was slowing down the Steam Deck’s fan. The outlet spoke reached out to dbrand, and the two worked together to determine the cause of the peculiar problem, along with some help from well-known YouTuber Dave2D.
The Verge shared a video of the Delta fan being affected by the Killswitch kickstand.
It seems that the magnetic kickstand only affects Steam Deck units with a Delta fan. The problem is that people cannot tell if their device has a Huaying fan (which is seemingly unaffected by the magnets) or a Delta fan without cracking their Steam Deck open. That’s not a reasonable action for dbrand to ask of people, so instead, the company is handling all orders the same way.
Project Killswitch consists of a case, grips, and other components that protect the Steam Deck. Even if your Steam Deck has a Delta fan, it shouldn’t be affected by any part of a Killswitch case except the magnetic mount for the kickstand.
dbrand will shift away from a magnetic mount in the future, opting instead for a mechanical interlock system. Anyone that ordered a case from dbrand will receive a new Killswitch, regardless of if their Steam Deck is affected by the magnetic mount.
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Those that made orders before the private launch on Sunday can either get a replacement case and kickstand or a refund.
Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He’s covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean’s journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.
