Valve’s Steam Deck will finally launch in late February

By Emily Morrow January 26, 2022

Valve announced that its Steam Deck will launch on February 25, roughly one month from today. On that date, those who reserved a Steam Deck will have the opportunity to complete their purchase, with units shipping to customers starting on February 28. Valve did not mention when or how Steam Decks will be available for general retail sales.

Steam Deck launches on February 25th, 2022! 🎉https://t.co/6WKynbibkv pic.twitter.com/Un54Jwdq1H

— Steam (@Steam) January 26, 2022

According to a news post on the Steam website, the process will start with Valve sending out emails to those who made the earliest Steam Deck reservations. Those customers will have 72 hours to complete their payment. If they decline, the company will move on to the next person in the reservation line.

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After the initial emails are sent and those Steam Decks are sent out, Valve plans to send out weekly groups of emails to customers in order to work through the reservation queue. Ahead of February 25, previews and impressions of the new system will be shared.

The Steam Deck originally had a release date of December 2021, but Valve was forced to push the release date back to February in the wake of component shortages and manufacturing issues caused in part by the ongoing pandemic.

To give fans a peek at what awaits, the company recently revealed some games that will work on the handheld, as well as others that aren’t compatible. Only a small batch of titles on Steam have been deemed “verified,” or able to be played perfectly on the Steam Deck. Others are simply “playable,” meaning they work but may need adjustments to run their best. Unsupported titles include all VR games.

The Steam Deck will launch on February 25.

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Emily Morrow is a games journalist and narrative designer who has written for a variety of online publications. If she’s…

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