‘Hundreds’ of Steam Deck Kits Shipped as Valve on Track for Feb Launch

The global pandemic, chip shortage, shipping issues, and supply problems have affected the tech world in various ways. Gamers are still unable to get their hands on GPUs, and this crunch is expected to continue to Q2 2023. But, it appears that these problems are not affecting Valve, who are all geared up for releasing their handheld console, the Steam Deck. 

According to Valve’s latest update, the Steam Deck is on track to ship on time. 

Global pandemic, supply issues, and shipping issues notwithstanding, it looks like we’ll be able to start getting these out the door by the end of February. 

Valve

However, many game developers will have their test Steam Decks delivered to them in advance to help facilitate full compatibility with the new device. The faster the developers can get their hands on one, the faster the game catalog will grow. As it stands, no game has been found that cannot run on the Steam Deck.  

The Valve Deck Verified program would add a tick to games that satisfy the categories for Steam Deck compatibility. These include full controller support and supporting the default resolutions of 1289×800 or 1280×700 with readable text. Portal 2, as seen on the SteamDB, seems to be set for a Steam Deck compatibility rating, which should be visible on the storefront soon. 

It’s also important that we give developers the ability to test their games in order to get that nice green Verified check, so we’ve been sending developer kits out in quantity. We’ve been approving another wave of dev kits, and hundreds have been shipped out in the last month (and we’re continuing to approve and send out even more). 

Valve

The Steam Deck will be a one-of-a-kind handheld console, as not only does it have direct access to PC’s largest gaming storefront, but it also will be running a Linux operating system. Valve has also announced that the Steam Deck will offer full mod support, allowing you to tweak your games to your heart’s content on the go. 

About Valve Software

Valve Corporation, also known as Valve Software, is an American video game developer, publisher, and digital distribution company based in Bellevue, Washington. Valve is best known for the software distribution platform Steam, along with gaming franchises such as Half-Life, Counter-Strike, Portal, Day of Defeat, Team Fortress, Left 4 Dead, and Dota.