- The console should start shipping first to those who have ordered it months prior
- New order batches will be sent each week.
- The Steam Deck will offer a portable PC experience to customers
After months of delays due to chip shortages and operating system problems, Valve is finally ready to release its portable console on the market.
Valve’s Console Comes Out on February 25
The Steam Deck is one of the most anticipated electronics products to be launched this year. Valve has finally announced in a blog post a specific date for the console’s release – February 25. The Steam Deck was first announced in July last year and email orders rolled into Valve almost immediately. The company has promised to send out the first batch of those who ordered via email.
Customers, who have reserved a unit early will receive an order email on Feb. 25. They will have 72 hours to confirm the purchase, or if they do not, their reservation slot will be passed on to another person. The first purchasers will have their Steam Decks shipped out beginning on February 28. New order batches will be sent each week.
A customer can check the Steam Deck page on Steam’s website to get a rough estimate of when one's order can become available. Buyers, who have not reserved a console up until now, cannot do so currently. Those who have are eligible to receive only the version they reserved months ago. The Steam Deck is offered in three storage sizes: 64GB, 256GB, and a premium 512GB option.
What Does the Steam Deck Offer?
The Steam Deck will give PC gamers portable access to thousands of PC titles. It is, like Business Insider called it, a Switch for PC games. Players who already have a large Steam collection will not have to repurchase games for the console.
The device will come with its own proprietary Linux-based operating system called SteamOS. However, gamers will still be able to install Windows and other non-Steam applications at their own convenience. The OS was one of the driving factors why the console was delayed, as it was unoptimized and too big for the console’s limited storage space. However, Valve said the OS should shrink ahead of the Deck’s release.
The Steam Deck should be able to perform somewhere between the Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series S. It runs an AMD GPU and according to PCGamer, the console might struggle with some heavier titles like Doom and Cyberpunk 2077. For example, running Cyberpunk on the highest graphical settings would give around 20 FPS. On the other hand, lighter and more popular titles like DOTA 2 would run at a respectable 45 FPS on maximum settings.
Valve’s Steam Deck is shaping up to be a stable console, despite the many hiccups it has had through its development. However, only after the first reviews will we know if it can hold itself against the might of the Nintendo Switch.
