In the ongoing arms race of modern handhelds, production and shipments faced continued delays as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic lays stress on manufacturers on delivering product at a sufficient rate. While originally scheduled to ship months in advanced, the Analogue Pocket did not send out units well until December last month.
Additionally, the same is also accounted for the Steam Deck. Originally planned for a late 2021 release, early 2022 is currently the projected timeframe. Panic’s Playdate is not safe either: around the time of the delay for Valve’s handheld, the firm revealed the internal battery was insufficient for long-term use and postponed release to resolve the issue.
On Wednesday, Valve shared its plans for the Steam Deck to officially deliver later next month in February in less than a month away.
Hello, the day is almost here! On February 25th, we will be sending out the first batch of order emails to reservation holders. Customers will have 3 days (72 hours) from receipt of their order email to make their purchase, before their reservation is released to the next person in the queue. The first units will be on their way to customers starting the 28th, and we plan to release new order email batches on a weekly cadence.
“In addition, we’re sending out press units for full review shortly. Press review embargo on Steam Deck coverage will lift on February 25th, but keep an eye out for some preview coverage and impressions before that. In the meantime we’re working to tie up the last few loose ends and polish some rough edges, and are excited to get these out to you at the end of next month!”
As for the future of Steam Deck, it is emphasized the aimed demographic is primarily PC players. In the past, many assumed the device was conjured to battle the Nintendo Switch. However, Valve revealed the hardware is not targeting that player base. You can read the full report by heading here.
Are you excited for the Steam Deck’s launch?
The Steam Deck releases on February 25, 2022.
Source: Valve
