The Deck will keep on rolling out, though
Steam Decks keep on rolling out to those who snatched a pre-order, but the official dock will be further behind. Valve has announced that the official Steam Deck Docking Station has been indefinitely delayed.
The delay of Valve’s dock for the Steam Deck is due to both parts shortages and COVID-19 closures at manufacturing facilities. In the statement, Valve doesn’t specify a target window in which the official Docking Station will start rolling out.
“We’re working on improving the situation and will share more info when we have it,” the statement reads.
Lucky for those still waiting on their actual Steam Deck, the production schedule and reservation windows are not affected by this delay. Valve notes that they are different parts, in different factories.
Down by the Steam Deck dock
The Steam Deck is compatible with USB-C docks, and Valve says it will keep improving the experience for “all” USB-C hubs and external displays. Still, the official Docking Station is something I’d been personally looking forward to.
Alongside giving me a station to directly plop my Steam Deck onto to charge, it’s also a built-for-unit solution. The design that Valve has outlined for its Docking Station looks nice and sleek. If it’s packaged in any way like the Deck was, it will hopefully add a bit to the Deck.
Valve has been steadily ramping up Steam Deck rollout, getting more units out to those who locked in a pre-order. I received mine not too long ago, and have really been enjoying my time with it. It’s basically my “play Final Fantasy XII on the couch” machine, but it’s neat to have all those options at-hand and portable. The Verified program has been steadily adding more and more titles to its lineup too, including the sought-after Persona 4 Golden.
Hopefully the Docking Station isn’t too far off. Having a charging station that doubles as a way to play Baldur’s Gate 3 on my TV sounds nice.