Fake Steam Deck accessory wants to help people sniffing the exhaust vent

Steam Deck accessory company Genki’s “Scent Sentry” April Fools joke wants to make the handheld’s exhaust fumes smell better — and it might become a reality.

Since its launch in early 2022, Steam Deck owners have joked about wanting to sniff the exhaust fumes that come from the CPU’s heatsink and vent at the top of the device.

Valve warns against doing so, but Genki’s April Fool’s Day joke takes advantage of the ongoing joke — and they might even make it a real product.

The “Scent Scentry” is an aromatherapy accessory that makes your Steam Deck air vent smell better after it loses the “new Deck” smell.

“Has your Steam Deck’s fan vent lost that special ‘new Deck’ smell?,” they said in an email. “Introducing the Genki Scent Sentry, our ridiculous but totally real idea to keep your Steam Deck’s vent smelling as fresh as the day it arrived.”

The company also said that if you register your interest in the Scent Sentry, they’ll make it a reality if they get enough responses.

The email was shared to the Steam Deck subreddit, and many users flocked to the comments wishing the product was already created.

“Amazing. Wish it was true,” one user replied.

Another said: “This is hilarious as when I first booted up my deck I couldn’t stop sniffing that new tech smell and now after a couple weeks it’s already starting to disappear.”

“As a fellow vent sniffer, I approve,” a third user commented.

This isn’t the first scent-related gaming accessory to be released recently, either. The Game Scent took over social media in February 2024 as people revealed how much they wanted to smell the games they were playing.