Stable worldwide supply has allowed Valve to increase Steam Deck production, which means pre-orders will reach users sooner.
Fans are anticipating Steam Deck deliveries won’t be long, as Valve has announced that pre-orders will arrive earlier than expected. Like its competitors, the Steam Deck has faced supply issues that emerged in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The most serious of which is due to an ongoing component supply issue that causes the Steam Deck’s expected 2021 release date to extend to February 2022.
After years of maintaining one of the most prominent digital markets, Valve has revealed a powerful console similar to the Nintendo Switch. The Steam Deck is a handheld console product designed to access most of Steam’s vast library and capable of running high-performance AAA games on the go. While the original Steam Decks were warmly received by critics, customers encountered some problems in purchasing them. Chip shortages and supply disruptions have negatively impacted pre-orders, leading Valve to struggle to fulfill shipments during the Steam Deck’s initial launch. Serious consumer-based problems such as speculators, scammers, and even blatant theft of the Steam Deck due to inconspicuous packaging also make product ownership difficult.
However, Valve has shared some good news via the official Steam Deck Twitter and Steam event page for those waiting for their new product. As the supply chain adversely affected by COVID-19 has finally been released, Valve has announced that it will increase Steam Deck production, thereby updating the reservation times. The increase in productivity means that customers who booked for “Q4 or later” have been carried over to Q3, which means they can receive their orders anytime between May and June. 7 through September. Meanwhile, later orders are now “definitely of the Q4 category” and can expect to receive their Steam Deck before the end of 2022. Furthermore, Valve still has room to ship additional Q4s. . Once these slots have filled, newer pre-orders will roll over to Q1 of 2023. As Valve has caught up with Steam Deck pre-order deliveries during its Q2 period, it’s no surprise However, removing supply chain bottlenecks improves delivery times for those still waiting for their orders.
The news of the Steam Deck’s production increase will come as a huge relief as the world is still reeling from supply shortages. With Sony and Microsoft still struggling to keep up with demand for their respective consoles, Valve’s supply increase could provide an opportunity for the Steam Deck to gain a foothold in the market. Because Steam isn’t known in console development, its better accessibility compared to products like PlayStation 5 and Xbox X/S could encourage gamers to try it out despite the hefty price tag. Plus, with years of accumulating titles in Steam’s single-use catalog, Valve’s Steam Deck doesn’t need any exclusive games to stand out from the competition.
This generation of consoles has been one of the more difficult eras of the gaming industry, a major factor being the inability of the average consumer to buy new hardware at random. With Valve manufacturing recovering from supply chain issues around the world, hopefully this is a sign of future relief for other popular gaming hardware distributors.
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