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Steam Decks are Shipping Much Faster Than Valve Expected

Good news if you’ve reserved a Steam Deck – it’s shipping a lot quicker than expected. Valve’s incredibly popular handheld PC has seen an influx of orders and preorders since it was first announced, and now it looks as though the company is finally getting a handle on production.


“A few of you may have received an order email for your ‘Q4 window’ Steam Deck reservation today,” said Valve’s Lawrence Yang via Twitter. “This wasn’t a mistake! Production has outperformed our estimates, and we’ll be moving more Q4 folks into the Q3 window.

“Official announcement and info coming soon,” he added. “In the meantime, check your email and visit [the Steam Deck website] while logged in, and check your reservation just in case it came in early. And if you missed the email, there’s a grace period to get your order reinstated - just make a support ticket.”

Hi all, a few of you may have received an order email for your “Q4 window” Steam Deck reservation today. This wasn’t a mistake! Production has outperformed our estimates, and we’ll be moving more Q4 folks into the Q3 window.

Official announcement and info coming soon. 🎉

— Lawrence Yang (@lawrenceyang) August 22, 2022

The news comes shortly after Valve officially announced that supply chain shortfalls were beginning to clear up. Now, it looks as though those issues are in hand, with Steam Decks flying out the door and into customer hands quicker than ever.

“Many of the supply chain shortfalls that affect Steam Deck are gradually clearing up, and we're continuing to ramp production, so we're able to produce more Decks faster than ever before,” said Valve.

As a result, it looks as though the reservation queues are being bumped up with those in the Q4 window moving forward to Q3 while new orders sit firmly in the Q4 release window. That means you could get your hands on one by the end of the year.


The Steam Deck has proven to be a big hit with gamers since its release, despite criticisms for its battery life, screen quality, and occasional performance issues.

IGN’s Steam Deck review said: “When the Steam Deck is living up to its promises, it's absolutely incredible. Playing GTA 5, God of War, and other modern games on the go is an absolute joy, and the hardware and controls feel good to hold even though it’s a big chubby boy of a handheld. It seriously impressed me with how nice some demanding modern games look on its 7-inch screen.”

Want to read more about the Steam Deck? Check out what’s new in the Steam Deck 3.3 update as well as how to improve storage on your Steam Deck or Switch.


Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

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