Steam Deck shipments get further ahead of schedule, Valve now fulfilling Q4 orders

rockpapershotgun.com:

For what is now the fifth time in a row, Valve have announced that waiting Steam Deck reservation holders will get their SteamOS handheld earlier than anticipated. That’s thanks to yet another uptick in production speed, according to a Steam Community post, so everyone whose delivery estimate was in Q3 2022 should now have received their confirmation email. Fulfilment of the final remaining Q4 batch is now fully underway, after a smaller handful of lucky Q4-ers were bumped forward into Q3.

This time, Valve have also updated Steam Deck’s store page with the revised order availabilities, and it’s good news even if you don’t already have an preorder on the way: anyone making a new order will join the Q4 gang, meaning their Deck should arrive by the end of December. Not a bad wait, considering some early reservists had to twiddle their thumbs for nearly a year before they could twiddle those thumbsticks.

It's not clear how exactly Valve have sped up production multiple times, though it may be related to the easing of worldwide parts shortages. Not complaining either way, obviously – the only thing I’ve ever done ahead of schedule was start balding, and the Steam Deck is a nifty portable PC. Even if it’s not really a replacement for your desktop.

Anyway, if you’ve got a Q4 reservation, check your emails. Valve send out batches of emails twice a week to notify holders that their Steam Deck is ready, and you’ll need to confirm you still want yours. And while you wait, you can get prepped by reading up on the best microSD cards for the Steam Deck and the 30 best Steam Deck games.

Or, if you’re interested in this portable PC gaming contraption but still don’t know if it’s “your thing,” you can try it out at EGX London this week.