Valve has announced that shipping of Steam Deck, the company's Switch-like handheld PC, will be delayed by two months due to "global supply chain issues".
In industry-wide circumstances that recently caused Nintendo to reduce its Switch sales forecasts due to the global semiconductor shortage, Valve explained on the Steam Deck reservation page that, despite factoring in the ongoing supply chain woes, its plans have still been disrupted.
You can read the full explanation below:
While we did our best to account for the global supply chain issues (by which we mean we factored in extra time to account for these risks and worked with multiple component vendors), our manufacturing plans were still impacted. Material shortages and delays meant that components weren't making it to our manufacturing facilities on time. Missing parts along with logistical challenges means delayed Steam Decks, so we needed to push out shipping by two months to February. We’ll continue working to improve reservation dates based on the new timeline, and will keep folks updated as we go.
This delay means that the first people awaiting the arrival of their Steam Deck — described in some quarters (not these quarters, you understand) as a 'Switch-killer' — are now scheduled to receive them from February 2022 onward.
The device itself is certainly of interest to anyone who enjoys portable gaming, an area which Nintendo has had pretty much to itself for a long time now, and those who were hoping to enjoy the new handheld over the Holidays will surely be disappointed.
It's not surprising news given the issues currently affecting production of many electronic devices. Rival platform holders Microsoft and Sony have struggled to meet demand for their respective consoles for the best part of a year now thanks to manufacturing and supply problems exacerbated by the pandemic. One year on and we've still yet to see a PS5 in the wild — apart from the ones with the 300€ mark up in the window of our local secondhand game store.
Valve's handheld is an intriguing proposition for portable gamers, and there's also a dock to connect it to your TV. Sound familiar? Valve itself has played down the Switch comparisons, saying its "going after" a different audience, but the superficial similarities were striking when it was first revealed back in July. Steam Deck has Switch absolutely beaten from a specs perspective, but it remains to be seen how comfortable and easy-to-use it is in the real world. It certainly looks substantial for a portable system and we're eager see how it compares.
We'll have to wait until February at the earliest to see exactly how Steam Deck stacks up against Switch. Fortunately, there's another stalwart portable to pick up the slack over the New Year.
Comments 68
Ooh, this chip shortage blows.
I can wait even more. It will be an awesome device!!!
Especially of how transparent they are even with the teardown and how you can change parts and even where you can order them.
Parents everywhere…….’thanks, sons crying now’, ‘Christmas is ruined’
No problem, can happen.
This device will be a smash hit.
Switch is going to steam roll over thism but I think it will be a success regardless.
Good, more time for me to save up for my model lol
@GrailUK I'd sure hope so, the steam deck isn't even going to be sold in stores. I'm very excited for my steam deck tho, emulation, the steam library, a stronger portable. I probably won't even buy third party games on switch anymore if they're on pc.
@GrailUK That is why they are releasing it now when the Switch is far into its lifespan.
It will be a huge success.
Every time there is a Steam sale the console will perform well in sales.
It is like our Lord and Saviour Gabe is blessing us!
Not that I'd be able to get one anytime before 2022 anyway. Even the latter is far from a given - if some units come here by July AND don't get their price inflated into GPD Win range by various factors along the way, there are some really modest odds I could afford to pull the trigger. Saving beforehand could have raised them, but... saving even for a handheld PC over more Switch game spendings and potentially more 3DS/Vita ones? Over the same spring that features the releases of Rune Factory 5 and The Cruel King? Yeah, that's a whole other set of odds to calculate.😆
@GrailUK compared to the aforementioned GPD lineup and similar machines, I expect it to be a smash hit. The price alone, at least without all the import added costs factoring in, is significantly more welcoming. Handheld micro PCs may come with a ton of compromises and fine print that a lot of excited folks (including local commenters) don't seem to realize yet, but when they manage to do something right, it's never a wasted time. SteamDeck could never possibly outshine a console like Switch in my eyes, but whenever I actually get my hands on it, I definitely envision myself getting a tangible share of use on it. Before my GPD Win 1 broke, I covered almost all of NFS Hot Pursuit 2 and Flatout on it, both despite relatively awkward control layouts, and poured several prolific hours into other stuff from Assassin's Creed to Long Live the Queen. For all its woes, that thing still got me back into PC gaming after almost a decade; I have no reason to expect SteamDeck would make a worse impression.
Too bad for Valve. The Switch will continue to dominate in this space in the meantime. Really Nintendo could use some direct competition to the Switch, if only for keeping prices in check.
@HamatoYoshi i'm pretty sure the kind of kids who get gaming consoles as gift from their parents(rather than being the adult buying a console for themselves) aren't the market niche if the Steam Deck
@drewber2635 My thoughts exactly!
@nhSnork @Zuljaras Oh, I don't in any way shape or form think it will be a flop!
Hey...any chance this gets massively reduced every now and then as part of the steam sale lol?
@Zuljaras yeah, they were VERY clear on what they won't cover on the Deck if you attempt certain part replacements. The rough translation I got from their video, don't go beyond the joysticks or you'll have to buy another to replace your now broken one.
I like it, but it's not the same as a Switch. They couldn't be more different from each other. You can't have local multiplayer on one Deck, plus the dock doesn't upconvert the system to 4K, it plays at 1080P like the Switch. Gabe has said it's a portable PC, which this part intrigues me the most.
From a sales perspective, they're targeting the PC market with this device and not the broader market. It will do well, but it's super limited selling outlet compared to the Switch being in retail and online shops hurt it tremendously.
Again, I hope it does well for Valve to stick with it. I've got the base model preordered for tinkering. They're lousy with sticking on their hardware.
@nhSnork by the time you could readily buy one, Nintendo will have announced the "Switch 2" and will be available to grab in retailers (where the Steam Deck isn't being sold). I think it has potential, but I don't see it touching Nintendo at all. More Sony and Microsoft than them.
@GrailUK Who knows maybe 2-3 years after the release.
@progx Of course you can do local multiplayer with the Steam Deck, LAN play is still a thing for a lot of games.
Watch as this gets even delayed even more.
I'd be happy just to get my Analogue Pocket order next month. I still have a suspicion that it's not going to get to customers in 2021.
If Valve couldn't ship tens of thousands of SteamDecks in time for release this December, then there is no way Nintendo would have been able to ship millions of Switch Pros for a release this year either.
interested to see how well it will sell. personally, I feel that it’ll find a small niche crowd but will not last in the market long
Valve defeated Microsoft and defeated Sony, proof of that is that games from both are now on Steam.
But Nintendo, well, Valve can't count to 3.
@nessisonett you can play up to four people on one Steam Deck?
Local multiplayer with a Deck is your friend better have one of their own.
My preorder didn’t change (2nd quarter 2022) so I’m assuming it’s just moved from April to June. I’m still not even sure if I want it. I just landed a PS5 direct from Sony, so I honestly wonder if I’ll really play it much. There is that small issue of Starfield not being available on the Switch or PS5 however…
@progx Yes. You can connect wireless controllers to it. It also connects to a TV via HDMI.
Saying this will kill the Nintendo Switch is going too far, maybe this will be a big success, but it will probably never sell more than the Switch.
However, the main reason why previous Nintendo portables destroyed the competition like the Game Gear, Atari Lynx, PSP and Vita, is because while those were better than the Game Boy and DS portables when you look at specs, not only Nintendo's portables were cheaper and easier to use, they had better games, specs are nothing without games.
This is why this time, the Steam Deck is different, it's not even released yet, it has a better videogame library than the Switch.
Great, put it to "Will change gaming forever" along with Steam Machines, Valve Controller and Valve VR glasses (forgot proper name).
@victordamazio that was my thought when it came to the Steam Machines too. Yeah, that didn’t happen and I was on broad the ship while drinking the Gabe Kool-Aid.
@nessisonett that’s cool. Would you bring an extra controller with you to a coffee shop and offer someone a chance to play?
@progx No because I’m not a f***ing weirdo. I wouldn’t do that with a Switch either.
I knew this thing wouldn't make the late 2021 estimate delivery date, heck I don't think it'll come out in 2022 either. My prediction for the launch of this crap is maybe late 2023 or early 2024. By that time a more powerful Switch is on the horizon anyways. Valve never had a good track record with releasing hardware so I don't expect the same for the Steam Deck.
@nessisonett I don’t take my Switch out in public either, but it has two Joy-cons attached and has the ability without a separate controller. If bring a set on a trip, then it could be four. Depends on the games.
What I’m saying, apples and oranges. The Steam Deck can be a full-fledged PC, where the Switch isn’t going to do spreadsheets for me. SteamOS has some productivity apps available in the store, plus I would imagine Gabe wants to take a shot at Windows.
@HamatoYoshi funniest bit is the son is 32.
They use a lot of similar components that go into XBox and PS, so anyone thinking that Steam somehow miraculously was able to deliver consoles before end this year is delusional, when both Microsoft and Sony are still struggling with console production due to component shortage.
Microsoft has already warned that these issues won't be resolved before end 2022, so be prepared to not see any Steam deck or few at most being delivered in 2022. Steam will be at the end of the current component queue and won't be able to mass produce any time soon.
Nintendo is doomed…at a later date.
It’s quite frustrating really.
And… just received an email that says the Playdate delays too. Nooooo.
@Zuljaras not really steam sucks anyway
I am very sadden by this, since this was my x-mas gift. Add to the fact they delayed Advance Wars... its going to be a back log time of the year.
The PlayDate has just been delayed as well.
Looks like the Switch OLED model will be the only new piece of hardware to actually meet it's intended 2021 release date (and it's sold-out everywhere anyways).
I'm in no rush to get it right now because of the Switch games constantly coming out (falling behind even, lol). I'm still interested in this, though, especially with it having its own dock. Even though my PC is good enough to handle the latest game, I think I just prefer to play those Steam games elsewhere. I even tried the dual-screen setup, back then my PC because a 90s machine and sluggish...nowadays the settings on my games have to be lowered quite a bit, and on a 4K TV, it just looks...meh.
Not only then, but setting it up so it is full screen on the TV confused the crap out of me, it constantly wanted to use my monitor. lol
The Deck's dock, whenever it launches once the Deck itself launches, would just make things more simple and easy for me, and probably would get me to play some of the Steam games more often.
Hmmm.. guess ill toss my hat in. I think Steam Deck is awesome and I hope it does well. I'm not gonna be adopting until well into them being polished. But I gotta say the Steam Deck is exciting..
I'm still highly looking forward to the deck, even with the delay. The emulation potential is insane, plus the idea of having my entire steam library on the go is great, especially if I can plug in my PC's external hard drive and boot games from it, so that I can use the internal storage for the stuff I really want to be able to have on me at any time. I just hope that the thing will be powerful enough to allow for a decent fast forward in PC games. I just can't play through RPGs without speed ups anymore.
This will make my Xbox obsolete and maybe the PlayStation if they get more of there stuff on pc. Can't wait!
Called it. You can tell back when pre-orders opened they struggled on stock when just going past six figures pushed the preorders into different release batches. Keep in mind Feb is just the first batch only.
Now I definitely don’t see this selling as good as the OLED when Valve has poor stock, limited access to get one to begin with, poor marketing, limited region availability, bigger price barrier, and of course them selling the Deck at a loss doesn’t help either
I hope Nintendo's stock raises as a result. I'm hurting.
@Zuljaras,
Define huge success, I can only ever see this being niche.
@johnvboy Portable gaming is a niche itself? Or is it too popular now? It will be a machine like the Switch that can play some games not available on the Switch.
Also as I said Steam sales will make big impact on having a huge library on first timers AND if you already have big Steam library you will only buy the console and play right away!
I think people will love that.
3rd party games will be better and cheaper on the Steam Deck.
Have they mentioned when they will allow us lowly Australians to purchase one yet?
Last time I checked, we could not.
I wasn't even gonna get it until next spring before. My window will probably just get pushed all the way to 2023. ugh.
@progx indeed, if a Switch successor of the same hybrid format got announced in the meantime, then it's not just games that would get in the way anymore - I'd focus my savings on that console instead. :3 😄 But I'd probably keep an eye out for this machine as well, especially if it proves to be a plausible environment for the relatively many games it's hard to imagine ported to anything Gen 9 onward these days, let alone to Switch. Heroes of Might & Magic, anyone? To think there was a time when its first two entries made it to Game Boy Color of all platforms.
As for the local multiplayer you mention elsewhere, the single screen kind apparently CAN be done on SteamDeck. But it will require the purchase of separate controllers for anyone who doesn't have the compatible ones lying around (Valve promises broad support, but as with any PC out there, the reality is always case-by-case about such things), whereas a healthy multitude of applicable Switch titles (and some overly applicable ones - Tied Together doesn't even have single player at all😆) can be enjoyed with a friend right out the box. "Sharing the joy" and all that.
@Zuljaras,
The concept sounds amazing, and a portable P.C also seems a great idea, my only slight issue is will there be lots of people wanting to play 720p versions of games they can play in much better quality, on their home P.C's, which is why I feel it will be niche.
This just confirms the Switch Pro is releasing 2/22/22 and Nintendo will beat Valve to the market at $399.99 and Breath of the Wild 2 is ready....
Yeah! 👍more money for Anbernic and Powkiddy!
This supports my hypothesis that a Switch Pro was actually on the docket but the lack of parts meant Nintendo would pivot to have product on shelves with the remaining parts they did have.
Gonna be a lot of disappointed people out there when they see how Valve supports their hardware. Get ready
This thing is awesome ... but seriously? "switch killer"
1) That's like saying a new fast food place is a "fine dining killer". No. They might both be food, but they exist in different market spaces and the economy allows for both. I would love to be in THAT meeting ...
SIR, we've come up with a new product to compete with "x".
Great! Tell me about it
Well, it twice to three times as expensive!
Oh! So you're the stupidest person alive? Good to know! Also you're fired.
2) The current production run, based on when the pre-orders were "sold out" is around 150,000 units. So if it completely replaces switch sales, every single person buys this instead ... what happens after a week? The switch sells 150,000 units in 5-7 days, so until production scales up to around 100 times what it is now, not exactly a "Switch killer"
I don't know what bothers me more, that stuff like that gets printed or that 99% of people don't think about it for 2 seconds and realize how dumb it is.
@DaTrashMan yeah… there’s that history from Valve. I hope it’ll be different this time, but it’s wait and see.
@victordamazio
Steam Deck lacks Mario, Zelda, Animal Crossing, Smash Bros., Fire Emblem, and Metroid.
It's no different than any other time. Nintendo's most valuable product is its IP. There's a reason that Starfield, The Elder Scrolls VI, and Fallout V will only be on Xbox and Windows. Microsoft has learned the valuable lesson that Nintendo has always known: You want people to buy your hardware, you make sure they have to buy it to play your software.
Steam Deck will never be able to compete with Switch because, while it has an excellent library, its games are playable on various other consoles, while 90% of the Switch's popular titles are exclusive to the Switch. They can do the Switch concept "better" in terms of graphical fidelity etc, but they can't replicate the trademark Nintendo powerhouses that are their franchises.
Nintendo is operating like Disney. It's ALL about IP. if Disney+ content was on Netflix and Hulu, would you really pay separately for it? Valve is competing against an audience that can already play their Steam games on their Windows PCs, and also against Xbox AND PlayStation. Nintendo is off in their own corner doing their own thing. Microsoft is trying to become more like Nintendo by buying up IP and making them exclusive. Valve just doesn't have that in their repertoire.
I don't like where the D Pad is, or the controls on general, at the very top of the device.
@HeadPirate you think the switch is akin to the fine dining place? I'd say it's the other way around, when you look at the specs. Switch would be the fast food place. More plentiful, weaker system, versus the luxury, quality components system.
@victordamazio aren't most of valve's games on playstation & Xbox, too?
I'd love to get one of these at the $399 price tag (entry variant) but anything more than that I would just get a good laptop which basically does everything else for me. I doubt it would be easy to get one where I'm from anyways. The price will be heavily marked up here that's for sure.
My Q2 2022 estimate will be pushed back to August or September. Sucks, but honestly it's all good. I'm so into Switch OLED and have so many games on it, its hard to think about anything else anyways.
Is this Nintendo news?
I am not a fan of the touchpads. They take up too much space and more useful inputs are organized around them, in awkward places. I prefer the look of the AYA NEO.
It isn't the steamdeck that is a switch killer it is that it is a handheld that can access steam, and steam is way, way better than Nintendo's digital store.
@victordamazio "But Nintendo, well, Valve can't count to 3." Excellent joke
I can't believe I'm saying this but I'd much rather a Steam deck than a Switch these days. I can't afford one right now anyways so this doesn't bother me too much.
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