Steam Deck pre-order reservations have reportedly been delayed into 2022 after Valve experienced an overwhelming amount of demand for its upcoming handheld console. These delays impact all three models of the console the system, with even those who have already reserved the console being informed that their expected order availability has changed.
Valve opened up pre-orders for the Steam Deck last week shortly after revealing the new system. Allowing users to access their Steam library on the go, Valve’s entry into the handheld market quickly caught buyers’ attention, with the system being snapped up as a result. As has been an unfortunate tradition with new hardware releases, Steam Deck pre-orders began appearing on eBay with huge price markups, with scalpers taking advantage of the huge demand.
Is Steam Deck delayed?
Like Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo before it, it seems that Valve was also unprepared for this high demand. While those who have already reserved the console ahead of its December launch will still be in line to receive their console, GamesIndustry.biz reports that the next wave of pre-order reservations won’t be made available until Q2 2022 or the 246 GB model and Q3 2022 for the 512 GB model. This means that those who didn’t get the console in the first wave will be left waiting for another year to buy it.
However, this also impacts those who have already ordered their console. Users can check their pre-orders on the Steam site, with many being informed of their new expected order availability. Some have seen their reservations being changed to Q1 2022 or even Q2 2022, as Valve seemingly underestimated the level of demand.
This is frustrating news particularly for those who had problems with Valve’s reservation process. Steam users faced numerous issues when trying to pre-order the Steam Deck, with sessions timing out or them being informed that their purchase had been unsuccessful. As a result, many were left waiting for the next batch of pre-orders to go live, with it now being suggested that Valve won’t resupply until next year. Valve has yet to put out an official statement, with all reservations still being taken at the time of this writing, albeit with revised dates.
In other news, various popular GTA mods including GTA: Underground were taken offline by Take-Two. A new Tom Clancy game is also set to be revealed later today — but it isn’t Splinter Cell.
