For the many people who have been waiting to order a Steam Deck, it looks like you’ll be getting your chance sooner rather than later. Valve is moving on to Q3 reservations, and they’re increasing their production.
Like the PlayStation 5, the Steam Deck has seen its own share of shortage. Back in July of 2021, reservations for a spot to reserve a Steam Deck became available. People scrambled to reserve their spots, which resulted in dates reserved all the way through Q3, 2022. Furthermore, though the Steam Deck was supposed to start shipping in 2021, it got delayed into February of 2022 due to material shortages.
At this point, according to Valve, they have just sent out the last group of Q2 emails. This means that anyone who reserved a spot and was told they’d be able to purchase a Steam Deck in Q2 will now be able to do so. This also means that starting on June 30 this week, Valve will begin sending out Q3 emails.
More importantly, Valve stated on Twitter that production has increased, and that they will be sending out Steam Decks faster that before. “Production has picked up, and after today we’ll be shipping more than double the number of Steam Decks every week!” the company explained. “If you’re expecting your email and haven’t received it yet, give it some time to make its way through the internet.”
Lawrence Yang, a designer at Valve, clarified exactly what this statement by Valve meant. “In previous weeks we were shipping x units / week to customers, starting this week we’ll be shipping 2x units / week,” they explain. Furthermore, Yang explains on Twitter that the doubling of Steam Deck shipments will also begin on Thursday this week.
Yang also recently warned against using a mod that allows people to install a larger NVMe SSD to the Steam Deck. “Please don’t do this,” they say. “The charger IC gets very hot and nearby thermal pads should not be moved. In addition, most 2242 m.2 drives draw more power and get hotter than what Deck is designed for. This mod may appear to work but will significantly shorten the life of your Deck.”
