Can you fit a PC in your pocket? Not unless you have exceptionally large pockets, you can’t. Valve hopes to change that with the Steam Deck, a handheld PC that should fit inside at least a generously sized jacket pocket. The first wave of these compact computers have now been released for purchase, though it’s not quite as straightforward as heading to your local electronics store to buy one.
As the past few years of PC gaming hardware releases have taught us, nothing is ever that simple. Though, Valve is making an attempt at a more orderly ordering system for the Steam Deck than much of the chaos we’ve seen the past year. It should result in a smooth, if a little long-winded, release for the handheld console.
After that time, we have very rough estimates as to when the next Steam Deck shipments will be. At least one in Q2, 2022, and then an unknown quantity thereafter. We also don’t know if Valve plans to gradually release Steam Decks during each period, or whether the initial restock will be our lot.
We do know that queues are regional, and that means availability may differ region to region.
Expected Steam Deck order availability by region:
US: After Q2 2022Canada: After Q2 2022UK: After Q2 2022Germany: After Q2 2022France: After Q2 2022
Polling the PC Gamer staff that pre-ordered on the same day pre-orders went live: somehave expected availability in Q2 2022, while others are after Q2 2022. No exact dates are given beyond these rough estimates.
What that means is that we know there will be at least one wave of Steam Decks on sale in February, Q1 for the people who pre-ordered; and another sometime between April–June, Q2. After that, there will be a further shipment, likely in the second half of the year, though when exactly is not clear.
The fact that many of us who pre-ordered on the first day also have the same order availability as what’s currently listed on the Steam Deck pre-order page is interesting in itself. It could be that the expected availability is so distant that Valve would rather not say when these units may arrive, or that it isn’t able to say what availability will look like later in the year. I’d say that may have something to do with the global semiconductor shortage, for one, as late 2022 may see some, perhaps minor, improvement in supply.
Semiconductor supply is expected to increase in late 2022/2023, after which point there may not be such a delay on Steam Deck orders as there is today.
Just don’t hit the cancel button, yeah?
We can’t say for sure if Valve has pushed back, or even brought forward, the availability dates beyond Q2 2022, as no specific date has been given.
The Valve Index is only available to purchase through Valve directly. The Steam Controller and Steam Link, while now six-feet under, were also primarily purchased direct from Steam during their lifetimes.
Valve has alluded to one-day there being general availability of the Steam Deck to purchase. You can sign up for a heads-up on that if you add it to your wishlist. Though with the queue going back potentially into 2023, it might be a while before that happens. If ever. Who knows if you’ll even want a Steam Deck by then.
If you’re looking to spend $1,000 or more on a Steam Deck second-hand, you could spend that money on a brand new portable PC from Onexplayer or Aya instead. Or, even better, put that money to better use on a tried-and-tested gaming laptop with a discrete GPU and power to play the latest games.
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