Steam Deck was the most anticipated new gaming system of 2021. Now, Valve is taking a second look in an interview, confirming that early buyers will see Steam Deck arrive next February.

In an interview with PC Gamer, Valve's Greg Coomer said the company is confident in its current release schedule.

"We feel we are on schedule. We're still disappointed that we had to change it from the end of this year to the beginning of next year," he said. But all indications are that we can ship in February."

While this is not new news, it is an encouraging reassurance for those who have been patiently waiting since the Steam Deck was announced earlier this year. Of course, is it worth ordering the Steam Deck?

Interestingly, because Valve launches directly via Steam, the rhythm of the launch seems to be the exact opposite when compared to other console releases. For example, when the PS5 was released, major retailers had a large supply on the first day. After the launch date, however, it appears that quantities did not reach the original target. In the case of Steam Deck, however, the drop-off on launch day is unlikely to be the biggest tailwind.

"We're going to have a launch that looks like a significant number of users right out of the gate and build it over time," Coomer said, "rather than having the biggest splash on day one and then a general decline." If we extend the timeline to 2022 and then to 2023, we will constantly build up the numbers throughout that period, and if things go as we think they will, we expect that by about the end of that year, there will be millions of customers using Steam Deck through 2023! That's a lot of people."

Valve has identified certain "high-risk" components that have been difficult to obtain. However, Valve now appears to have secured suppliers.

Thus, adequate supply can be expected throughout 2022. In other words, those who pre-ordered should be able to get their handhelds by mid-2022, even if only now. However, they will not arrive before the second quarter of 2022. Regardless, the earlier you place a pre-order, the sooner you should be able to get your system. You can pre-order the Steam Deck right now by paying a $5 deposit.

"It's a full-fledged product launch, so thousands of people will receive their decks as soon as they become available for shipment," says Coomer. But even a few thousand will be quite small compared to the quantities we're targeting in the first few months."