Valve Offering Steam Deck Without Any Reservations But There's A Catch

Valve is finally offering the Steam Deck without any reservations. Although gamers can now purchase the handheld gaming console, Valve has cautioned that it may revoke the privilege at any time. Moreover, the company is gradually expanding the global availability of Steam Deck, and buyers in new regions won't be able to jump the virtual queue.

The Steam Deck has been one of the most popular portable gaming consoles not only due to its aggressive pricing, but also the humongous Steam game library it supports. Hence, purchasing this portable computer, capable of playing games, was very difficult, if not impossible. The waiting time forced gamers to become creative, and some scalpers took advantage of the same by reselling the Steam Deck at insane markups.

It has been a year since Valve started selling the Steam Deck. The company claims it has managed to work its way through the queue of reservations. In other words, everybody who patiently waited for their gaming console to be shipped will finally receive them. Valve has assured that the Steam Deck is currently in stock, but "depending on demand, estimated delivery times may get longer".

Every Gamer Will Not Be Jumping The Queue For Steam Deck

Valve has warned, "At a certain point we'll flip back into reservation mode until we're able to catch up". It strongly suggests the company has a limited stock and expects to exhaust the same very quickly. If that happens, gamers will once again be forced to wait in a queue.

Valve is gradually expanding the global availability of Steam Deck. However, not only is the process slow, all the new regions will automatically be enrolled in the reservation system. Gamers in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, will be able to reserve their consoles and expect shipment in the fourth quarter of the current year.

It seems Valve is selling its popular console very strategically. The company seems to be managing sales to mitigate supply chain issues. Although it may appear to be a clever tactic from a business perspective, gamers have been facing a hard time trying to purchase a dedicated gaming console, a graphics card, or a portable gaming device like the Steam Deck