Steam Deck preorder: Start date, time, and how to reserve

The Steam Deck is Valve's new Switch-esque handheld that will allow gamers to play their Steam games while not sitting at a computer. It not just runs Steam, just tin can run any PC software, meaning players tin can potentially get all of their PC games onto this handheld. If yous've ever wanted to play your PC-exclusive titles from a handheld, Steam's new machine seems like information technology's right upwardly your alley.

So how do you purchase a Steam Deck? Here's what you need to know.

Reserving a Steam Deck

The Steam Deck is set to launch in December, and reservations for them open up on July xvi at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.thou. PT on this page. Steam allows users to reserve whatsoever of the three models of the panel for a $5 fee (this counts towards the Deck'south purchase price). While each model has different internal storage options (SSDs of dissimilar sizes), and the 512GB has anti-glare glass, every model will come with a carrying case.

Note that not just everyone will exist able to reserve a Steam Deck. The reservations will only be available via i'south Steam account, and the account must both exist in practiced continuing and there must exist purchases made on the account earlier June 2022. According to Steam'due south FAQ, only one panel can be reserved per account. Presumably, this is to cut down on potential scalpers who would brand multiple accounts in society to reserve multiple consoles.

Reservations are currently open to Steam users in the U.S., Canada, European Union, and U.Grand., with more regions to open up later. You can cancel your reservation and get your fee refunded any time before the consoles launch. If you lot cancel within 30 days of making your reservation, yous tin get your fee refunded to your payment method, whereas if you cancel after that, it'll be refunded to your Steam wallet.

So yous've reserved... now what?

Once you've made your reservation and paid your fee, y'all volition be placed in a queue. When the Steam Deck becomes available for purchase, reservations will exist converted to orders in the order in which they were received. When your reservation's turn, you lot volition receive an electronic mail from Steam.

Steam has noted that while information technology will make an endeavor to convert all reservations into orders, it cannot guarantee availability. If yous're not able to buy the Steam Deck right now, you lot can add the console to your wishlist, and you'll exist notified when information technology becomes bachelor for full general purchase.

All models of the console are supposed to start shipping in Dec 2022. In the meantime, you tin can prepare yourself to get i by either getting a great PC gaming headset (the Deck has a headphone jack, and so you have wired and wireless options) or a microSD card to expand your storage.

An ultimate PC handheld

Steam Deck Front

Steam Deck

Bring your Steam library on the become

The Steam Deck is a powerful little machine that'southward ready to deliver your PC library about anywhere y'all are. Past natively running games on the system, you don't have to worry about cloud streaming limitations.

Sandisk 256gb Card

SanDisk 256 GB SD Menu

The Steam Deck lets users aggrandize storage with via a microSD slot. This SanDisk model should concur whatever games don't fit on your in-Deck SSD.

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