The official Steam Deck will not be available at launch

First orders for Steam Deck, Valve’s handheld gaming computer, will begin Friday, but the company’s official dock for the device won’t be available at that time.

“We also look forward to putting the official Dock for Steam Deck in the hands of customers,” Valve said. In a post about Steam Deck launch day. “It won’t happen as early as we wanted, but we’re excited to talk more about it soon and plan to have it available in late spring.”

Valve hasn’t shared many details about the dock yet, although there is a brief description on Valve’s Steam Deck site. “The official dock supports Steam Deck while connected to external displays, wired networks, USB peripherals, and power,” says Valve. but you don’t Need specified valve dock; According to the company, “You can also use a powered USB-C hub, if you have one lying around.”

according to Valve’s Steam Frequently Asked Questions, so it doesn’t look like your games will perform better if you play them while docked. “[D]Locking is akin to connecting a USB-C hub to a computer. The company says Steam Deck is fully functional in portable mode.

Valve also provided a reminder about ordering for launch day. The company will send emails to the “first batch” of device booking holders at 1 PM EDT / 10 AM PT on Friday, February 25. “These people will have 72 hours to complete their purchase on Steam for the specific model they have booked. If they cancel or do not purchase within this time frame, we will release their reservation to the next person in the waiting list.”

If you want to know Valve’s estimate of when you’ll be able to order a device based on where you are in the booking queue, Check out the Steam Deck website.