What you need to know
- The Steam Deck is Valve's upcoming handheld gaming PC.
- The Steam Deck was originally scheduled to start shipping out to buyers in December 2021.
- Shipments for the Steam Deck are being delayed and will now begin in February 2022.
Valve's upcoming PC handheld Steam Deck is delayed to February 2022. Valve shared the news on Wednesday that shipping was being delayed by two months. Orders for the first wave of Steam Deck shipments were originally scheduled to start arriving in December 2021.
Valve notes that the company was trying to avoid delays but that due to "material shortages," getting the orders together for manufacturing and then shipping has been challenging, necessitating a delay.
Other waves of Steam Deck orders are similarly being pushed back by two months, meaning everything has been affected, not just the first wave. Many people who successfully ordered a Steam Deck, especially the higher-end models with instead storage, were previously told that their orders would start shipping out in Q1 or Q2 2022. If this pattern holds, those people will now start seeing their machines arrive in Q2 and Q3 2022.
The Steam Deck allows players to take their Steam library on the go, meaning that if you're okay with the Steam Deck specs, you can take some of the best PC games available wherever you want. The Steam Deck starts at $399 for the basic model, with a $529 model that includes a 256 GB SSD and a $649 model that comes with a 512 GB SSD and premium, higher-quality glass.
Steam Deck
Play your Steam library anywhere
Wanted more places to play your Steam library? Now you'll be able to with the Steam Deck. This machine comes in three configurations, each allowing you to play your games locally and portably.
Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter @SamuelTolbert.
