The $400 portable gaming PC, the Valve Steam Deck, was a breath of fresh air when it was announced a while back. A cheap alternative to mobile gaming with support for modern PC titles is a very attractive option. With a range of models offering more NVMe SSD storage, gamers could be in for a real treat. But it would seem a holiday release is not in the cards for Valve. The original release window, due next month in Dec. 2021, will be missed.
In an official statement, Valve announced that they were delaying the Steam Deck’s launch by two months, pushing the release to February of 2022. This comes as PC gaming struggles with constant hardware shortages and scalping, leading to a lot of angry gamers. Trying to build a gaming PC in 2021 has been just as difficult as ever, and this news is just more trouble. It’s very likely that hardware problems are part of the issues here as well.
If you already ordered one and are waiting on the launch, don’t worry. Valve has said that the order queue will remain in place. “This will be the new start date of the reservation queue—all reservation holders keep their place in line but dates will shift back accordingly,” said the gaming giant.
The company has also said that they plan to announce more news as the launch date nears. As of now, no hardware modifications have been announced as a result of this delay and its underlying causes.
