James GordanLike many companies in the gaming sphere, Valve was desperate to release its upcoming Steam Deck system for the upcoming holiday season. All has not gone their way, however, as it recently announced a delay on the official Steam website. Now beginning to ship around February 2022, at least if no further delays occur, fans are disappointed, though perhaps not surprised.
Why the Delay?
The reason for the delay of the Steam Deck device is yet another example of the major problem facing hardware manufacturers for over a year now – the global chip shortage. As for what caused this issue, there are two major culprits.
The first is the excess demand placed on chips through both new video game consoles and new video cards. Public desire to play the new Xbox and PlayStation systems have pushed the limited manufacturing sites to their maximum capacity. Adding to this problem is the immense mass bot-buying issue, as scalpers and crypto miners take far more than their fair share.
On the supply end, the cost and complexity of developing new manufacturing sites mean rapid expansion is out of the question. Though new facilities are being developed to deal with greater demand, it will still be some time before these go into operation. As the BBC reports, other elements are contributing to the chip shortage, but the result is the same. Hardware developers can’t find their parts, and this is expected to last through 2022, at least.
What can Potential Steam Deck Customers Do?
Ultimately, the only real solution is to wait. That said, with some customers on the fence, the delay could be a real boon. If you’re wondering if the Steam Deck could be worth a purchase, then you could spend the time trying out some of what it has to offer through other means. If it gels with your preferred forms of interactive entertainment, then it could be worth taking more seriously. If not, then you might save yourself hundreds.
As fans of interactive games, our eyes are often bigger than our stomachs. New and shiny tech can be enticing, but too often, we buy without factoring in long-term usage. Consider, for example, if your main form of mobile gaming is centered around online casino gaming. If the titles you tend to spend hours on are the likes of something such as the Fishing Frenzy slot, it’s worth considering the fact that these sorts of games work optimally, even on low-powered mobile phones. Therefore, while it would certainly be compatible with the Steam Deck, Valve’s new machine would essentially be overkill. This same concept for online casino titles also applies to the vast majority of other web-based games.
Taking this idea a step further, you could additionally test how much you enjoy mobile gaming by adopting a Bluetooth game controller into your daily carry. Through installing emulators on your mobile phone and taking some time each day to play on your controller, you could at least get a taste of how you might use a Steam Deck in real life. If you own a PC, you could even combine mobiles with home network streaming systems like Parsec to extend the types of games your mobile can play to cutting edge and demanding titles.
For some users, the Steam Deck could be the handheld device they’re desired for years. For others, it could be just another piece of hardware that’s used for a few weeks before being put into storage. Though the delay is disappointing, it does at least give us some time to figure where on the spectrum we land. That said, if our suggestions only get you more hyped and impatient, then all we can do is apologize.
Simon Leonard