Valve Drops A Steam Deck Surprise - And For Once It's Good News

Just over a month ago, Valve announced that it is going to double the rate of shipment for the Steam Deck handheld gaming console. However, that announcement didn't really address the concerns of folks waiting in line for months to get their hands on a reserved unit. There's finally some great news eager fans.

Today, Valve has divulged that it is moving the shipment window ahead for Steam Deck deliveries. The best bit of news is that all new pre-orders starting today will be shipped in the fourth quarter of 2022. For everyone else already in the queue and anxiously waiting for the purchase link email, they will also get their unit delivered this year.

Another pleasant surprise — and perhaps the more significant one — is that buyers originally on the "Q4 or later" shipment window have been moved up to the Q3 slot, which means their Steam Deck will be shipped between the months of July and September. The company says it is slowly getting over some of the supply chain woes and has ramped up production.

The supply chain is healing

As Valve rolls more units of the Steam Deck off the assembly line, customers are in line to get their units slightly ahead of schedule. If you're in the queue, you can ahead and check the updated schedule on Valve's site. And if you're worried that you might miss the email — and with it, your ticket to buy the device — Valve is offering a grace period of a few days to take action.

However, Valve hasn't given any updates on the Steam Deck Docking Station in today's announcement, which was delayed last month. The handheld gaming PC only got a wide release in February this, but the shipment estimates have been brutally long so far. Over the past few months, Steam has repeatedly cited poor supply of parts and COVID-fueled supply chain issues as the reasons for long queues.

In the meanwhile, Valve has been on a roll when it comes to fixing early problems with its hardware such as loud fan noise and game optimization jitters. However, if you can't wait any longer, you can try your luck with rivals from Aya and GPD, both of which have fairly capable handheld Windows gaming hardware powered by the newer (and faster) AMD silicon.