Update: The Steam Deck can now run Windows — but there's a big catch, so you may want to hold fire if you're lucky enough to have the handheld PC.
If you're eager to get your hands on the Valve Steam Deck, be prepared to endure a rather long wait. At the moment, it looks as though orders won't be fulfilled until after Q3 2022. This means that if you place a reservation now, you won't get a hold of your new handheld console until at least October.
As of right now, the website makes it clear that new reservations won't turn into orders until after Q3, but that could change as the demand increases. Just earlier this year, the product page indicated that the reserved orders will be available "after Q2 2022," so there's a good chance that this window could be delayed until later. So if you want to get your Steam Deck console before Christmas, you might want to make a reservation now.
And users who have pre-ordered their Steam Deck are starting to receive emails to complete their purchase now. According to Valve, the company sent the order emails in two batches, and customers reportedly got the first batch on February 25, when the device was released. Last month, the company said that users that pre-ordered should get their order emails by the end of this month and in the beginning of April.
The Steam Deck is currently available in select regions, but the company said that it's looking to expand in more countries by the end of this year. So far, we have no indication on what those regions could be, however, Valve has specified that the list will be "including Japan."
