Buying stolen property unknowingly is innocent. A steam deck can end up on eBay or Facebook marketplace place or even in second hand stores like CEX etc without being tagged as stolen.

If you buy something and a few months later it dies from a recognised fault, it sucks for the person who bought it in good faith. They have no recourse and the only person gaining anything from it is Steam.

I have mixed feelings about this. Steam could make a lock that is more like the IMEI or android and iPhone lock that means it is far less valuable to steal and easier to track and lock. But by reporting it you remove THEIR obligation to provide warranty to someone that innocently buys a used steam deck that is still within its warranty period but that doesn’t hurt the person who stole it only another innocent party in the ordeal. Now if they gave you $25 off another steam deck or something I would see the point.

Not saying don’t do it. Just that it seems a little redundant now.