Valve has been shipping its handheld gaming PC, theSteam Deck, to all the reservation holders for a few months now, and a substantial number of users already have their devices. Since the Deck only has one USB-C port, however, connecting multiple peripherals like a mouse and keyboard to it at the same time is impossible without a USB hub of some sort.
Third-party docks will do the trick forSteam Deckusers in most cases, but Valve announced an official dock alongside the device itself, only for it to not appear during its initial Spring 2022 release window. Valve has now issued a statement on the matter, confirming suspicions that the Steam Deck Docking Station is, indeed, delayed.
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Even though theSteam Deck performs the same in docked mode, the availability of an official Docking Station for the device would greatly increase its flexibility and utility, both in the case of gaming and productivity tasks. According to Valve, the Station had to be delayed due to a shortage of parts and COVID closures of the manufacturing facilities used in its production, although this doesn’t seem to have had an effect on the production of the Steam Deck itself.
Theexact specifications of the Steam Deck Docking Stationlist a variety of ports available on the backside of the device, which is housed in an angled chassis that comes with a built-in 90-degree USB-C cable for the Deck. Users can expect a DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0, Gigabit Ethernet, an extra USB-C, and a grand total of three USB-A 3.1 ports, whjch is a far cry from the Deck’s default port selection.
Of course, even though it’s now been delayed in an official capacity, theSteam Dock may still come out in 2022. The specifics of its launch remain elusive at this time, however, as Valve is yet to confirm or deny whether it will have a similar reservation system as the Deck, or if users will be able to freely purchase the Docking Station whenever they want. As the announcement specifically mentions parts shortages as a major concern, Valve may need to rely on a reservation system in the end.
In the meantime, there’s nothing stopping users from using third-party docks if they want or need to do so. Since the Docking Station itself won’t offer any specific, exclusive functionality, it shouldn’t be quite as sought after as the Deck itself, and Valve has promised to continue improving the docked experience for the device across the board. Massive usability improvements such as theSteam Deck’s per-game performance profileshave been coming in at a blistering pace, which may well continue for the time being.
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