Today, Valve sent out an email to folks holding preorders for Steam Deck, the company’s upcoming handheld PC gaming device. Originally planned for later this year, the launch of Steam Deck has been delayed by two months, to February 2022.
Steam Deck Launch Delayed to February 2022
As you have probably guessed, the reason cited by Valve is attributed to a material shortage. This should be unsurprising, as shortages of components for electronics have been plaguing hardware manufacturers for over a year now.
Due to the pandemic, components like superconductors fell sharply behind, and while the manufacturing rate has caught back up, the backlog remains a problem.
In the email, Valve noted that reservation date estimates for individual preorders will be adjusted following the message. Since the launch has been pushed back two months and preorders were staggered in terms of projected availability, that’s going to affect the later reservations as well.
Finally, the email noted that the Steam Deck FAQ page has been updated, and that Valve will “continue working to improve” reservation dates. So we’ll see what happens when the time comes for actual launch dates. Until then, keep an eye on your favorite website or just Steam itself.
Related: Valve Shares Info On How To Check If A Game Can Be Played On Steam Deck
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