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Valve Steam Deck and Dock are finally available to order without a reservation
The Steam Deck has been nearly impossible to get your hands on since making its debut.
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Valve announced that its Steam Deck gaming portable is now available, for the first time its in history, without a reservation. The PC gaming handheld launched, after a supply chain delay, on Feb. 25.
Unfortunately for anyone who wanted one, it's been perpetually back-ordered since then. Customers could reserve a spot in line to buy one, but that typically meant waiting several months before Valve could finally fulfill the order.
The Steam Deck provides an ultraportable way to play many PC games via either its built-in 7-inch (1,280x800) display, or on an external display if connected to its official Steam Deck Docking Station or another compatible adapter.
The docking station includes a total of three USB-A 3.1 Gen 1 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, a DisplayPort 1.4 port, and an HDMI 2.0 port.
The device essentially does for PC gaming what the Nintendo Switch did for console gaming: provide an easy, affordable way to game at home or on the go, with the same device. Of course, like with the Switch, the addition of such easy portability means that the included hardware doesn't necessarily have the oomph to play AAA titles at high resolutions.
More: Wii like to party: Must-have Nintendo Switch games for single or multiplayer
That said, Valve has officially approved over 4,500 games for use with the Steam Deck at the time of writing, including recent releases like the massively popular Elden Ring, multiplayer hits like Apex Legends, and rereleased, older titles like Spider-Man Remastered. Basically, it's not going to run the latest Call of Duty on Ultra settings, but it's no slouch either.
The timing couldn't be better for Valve as we're just entering the holiday shopping rush. We'll see how long the company's able to keep up with its promise of no-reservation dispatch before holiday shoppers gobble up all of the available Steam Decks once again.
If you're interested in grabbing one for yourself, or someone else, while supplies last, we've got links below.