Good news for PC gaming fans eager to play laying down! Valve has announced it will be able to fulfil the demand for the Steam Deck, its handheld gaming console, sooner than initially estimated.
Anyone currently in the reservation queue should expect a Steam Deck email, where they’ll be able to actually confirm their order, by the end of the year. In a blog post, the company credited improvements in the supply chain for helping it fulfil demand — for this year, anyway. Valve writes:
Many customers who were in the “Q4 or later” window have been bumped up to “Q3 (July-September)“ window. And everyone else is now solidly in the “Q4 (October-December)“ window.
If the sudden availability is enough to make you consider forking over money now, be careful. Anyone who reserves the Steam Deck now will be thrown into the “Q4 bucket,” which means shipments will go out toward the end of the year. Naturally, those reservations will roll over into the next year if the bucket fills up, so I wouldn’t hinge your holiday gift-giving plans around this particular console.
If you’re still up for the wait, log in with your Steam account to make a reservation. Once units become available, you’ll receive an email and have 72 hours to complete the purchase.
We loved the Steam Deck when we reviewed it earlier this year, even if it didn’t feel ready for prime time. The 7-inch handheld console can play most of the PC games available in Steam’s library with no or little issues. Since it’s based on Linux, you can also use it to browse the web, stream music, or watch videos. It also supports various outputs, so you can connect it to a TV or monitor if you’re travelling or at a friend’s and want to bring gaming on the go. Best of all, you don’t have to be connected to the internet to play.
The Steam Deck is available in three configurations: a 64GB version with eMMC-based storage for $US400 ($555); a 256GB version with SSD-based storage for $US530 ($736); and a 512GB version with SSD-based storage for $US650 ($902). Each level has varying perks, too, though they all have the same estimated availability date.