Steam Deck will be shipping on time with testing currently underway says Valve

The Steam Deck was first announced in June of 2021, promising a portable way to enjoy popular PC titles. Many gamers were sceptical about the concept but it seems as though it's coming true after all. Valve have confirmed the Steam Deck release date will not change, meaning there is just weeks until it is unleashed.

In an official update from Steam, gamers were told that they are on track to ship the Steam Deck on time, which is the end of February. Of course, the global pandemic, supply issues, and shipping problems could occur, which are out of Steam's control. But so far, it's looking like full steam ahead.

The Steam Deck team is back from the holidays and "firing on all cylinders," according to the update. Work and testing for the Steam Deck Verified program are currently underway. Verified means that a game on Steam works "great" on Steam Deck "right out of the box." From input to display, the game will run perfectly on the portable console.

"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). Thanks for your patience, devs!" the Steam Deck team added.

The blog then attached a photo of Steam Decks as proof that the production build is "ramping up." These are the first units to be tested in-house and evaluated. According to developers, they are "looking great."

The Steam Deck is essentially a portable PC capable of running games from a player's Steam library. It looks quite similar to the Nintendo Switch design but will have an entirely new list of games and capabilities. The hardware can even run games like Doom: Eternal.

In an IGN video, Valve showed off some of the Steam Deck's key features, including Bluetooth for headphones and controllers, a dock similar to the Switch that allows for mouse, keyboard, and monitor plug-ins, and the ability to play an abundance of new games.

The price of the Steam Deck was very important to developers, who wanted to have versions at various price points to make the experience affordable.

According to the recent update, the Steam Decks are going to be shipped according to plan, which is the end of February. While the Steam Deck starts shipping in February, some purchases may be shipped after that time period. Reservations are still open.