Valve is taking steps to full its promise that your Steam Deck release date will actually be in 2022, if you placed a pre-order. The Steam maker posted an announcement on Twitter saying they were stepping up the number of Steam Deck orders fulfilled each week once more and reminded anyone with a pre-order to check their email in case it slips through. Valve says it sends Steam Deck emails on Mondays and Thursdays during the morning hours. Make sure to keep an eye on your inboxes, and as Valve recommended previously, check your other folders. Some Steam Deck emails wind up in junk mail, and even though Valve holds the reservation for a few days, it’s not a good position to be in.
Valve ran into fulfillment issues almost immediately after the handheld PC launched, partly from demand that was higher than anticipated. Though the team shouldn’t have been surprised. Unlike Valve’s previous efforts at breaking into the console field, including the ill-fated and shockingly overpriced Steam Machine, the Steam Deck’s appeal is immediate and the price point is reasonable.
Superconductor shortage was the other limitation, but with manufacturing regaining its pre-pandemic pacing, Steam and other hardware manufacturers are gradually able to increase their output once more.
Whether this means your “after Q3” date ends up being sooner or just earlier in Q4 than it would’ve been otherwise, Valve didn’t say. It seems unlikely, though. My own Q4 reservation has stayed the same for the past two production increases, but at least it’s essentially guaranteed for 2022.
If you’re looking for games to play once your Steam Deck finally arrives, there’s no shortage of the best RPGs, survival games, and multiplayer games to boot up on the portable. Short on cash after splashing out for the Deck? Never fear, there’s just as many quality free Steam games to choose from too.