Steam Deck is absolutely releasing in Feb, unless reasons
Valve says its handheld console is set to launch soon, "global pandemic, supply issues, and shipping issues notwithstanding".
If you were hoping to get your hands on Valve's futuristic handheld console in 2021, the company dropped some bad news for you near the end of the year. Valve noted that, thanks to "global supply chain issues" and "material shortages", the Steam Deck would be delayed into February 2022.
It stands to reason that consumers have had a little anxiety over getting their hardware in time for the new release date, too, then. If the company can delay the launch of the console that close to its initial release date, what's from stopping Valve doing the same thing again?
Well, rest assured. In a new update over on the Steam blog, Valve has confirmed that it "looks like" the Steam Deck will be on its way to customers from the end of February. There's a caveat, of course, and that is "global pandemic, supply issues, and shipping issues notwithstanding".
If you're eager to check the status of your order, you can find all the information you need at the link.
Orders are tiered based on when you placed your pre-order. Those who ordered the console in the earliest window (who would have receieved it in December) are now seeing Q1 2022 estimates for shipping, whilst consumers that got in a bit later are seeing Q2 2022 shipping estimates. In terms of actual solid dates, we know as much as the next guy. Which is precious little.
At least, when the console does turn up, it'll be one of the most powerful handhelds we've ever seen. Valve has yet to see a game Steam Deck can't handle and it was recently shown running The Witcher 3 without a hitch. Steam Deck works flawlessly with 80 of Steam's top 100 games – and it only took minor tweaks to get those games running on the hardware.
That bodes well for the future of the system, then.