Good news for Steam Deck customers: Valve says it can deliver more units at a faster pace due to improvements in the supply chain.
“We're excited to announce that we're going to be able to fulfill demand sooner than we had estimated for everyone in the reservation queue,” the company announced on Friday.
Valve says it’s cleared up “many of the supply chain shortfalls” that were holding back manufacturing. “And we're continuing to ramp production, so we're able to produce more Decks faster than ever before,” the company added.
As a result, all customers currently on the waitlist for a Steam Deck should receive their unit before the year ends.
“Many customers who were in the ‘Q4 or later’ window have been bumped up to ‘Q3 (July-September)’ window. And everyone else is now solidly in the ‘Q4 (October-December)’ window,” Valve added.
The supply chain improvements also mean new customers who pre-order a Steam Deck can also expect to receive their unit this year. The company’s website to buy the product currently says new orders will be fulfilled in this year’s Q3 or Q4, depending on the model. “But if these queues fill up it will flip over into the following quarter,” Valve said.
The company previously had to delay the Steam Deck’s launch from last December to this past February due to component shortages. In addition, Valve has been forced to fulfill the pre-orders in limited weekly batches, which has caused many consumers to wait several months before their units arrive.
But starting in April, Valve began ramping up production of the handheld gaming PC, which has received largely positive feedback from consumers. The improved supply chain now promises to make the Steam Deck easier for anyone to obtain. Existing pre-order customers can view when their unit is scheduled to ship by visiting Valve's website.