With the expansion of Steam Deck shipments to some locations, the portable PC/console hybrid may reach new heights. The business has now announced that bookings are now available through Komodo, a website that also offers Valve’s Index VR gear for PC along with other games and gaming-related products, in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. You should shortly be sent to Komodo’s website if you visit steamdeck.com from one of those areas, or you may click here and choose your language.
The initial round of new reservations will be filled, according to a representative for Valve, Kaci Aitchison Boyle, who talked to The Verge. A press statement states that shipments would start in Japan and continue to customers in Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan in the weeks that follow.
Pour one out, though, for our Australian friends who are still waiting for word of a launch after Valve mentioned it during its developer summit in November 2021.
The cost of the Steam Deck in Japan will start at 59,800 yen (about $447) and go as high as 99,800 yen (about $746) for the top-of-the-line 512GB model. These variants are priced at $400 and $650, respectively, in the US. Like before, making a reservation only requires a small, refundable deposit of 1,000 yen (about $7.50).
This significant expansion was made feasible, in part, because to Valve’s recent increase in manufacturing, and the company emphasizes that supplying these new nations won’t cause Deck delivery estimates for people who have already made reservations to be delayed.
If you’re attending the annual BitSummit gaming conference this weekend in Kyoto, Valve will reportedly be there with Steam Deck in addition to the Tokyo Game Show in September 2022.
Globally, handheld gaming is popular, but it is especially so in nations like Japan where large populations often travel by train to and from major cities. Although having access to Steam is nothing new in these areas, having the choice to buy a somewhat powerful, well-built, and reasonably small portable where they can play those PC games (although large, compared to the Nintendo Switch) is a major deal.
There has been a lot of encouraging news recently regarding Deck availability, most notably that you can make a reservation for one right now and will likely have one before the end of the year. Due to Valve’s announcement that it will start tripling Steam Deck shipments in late June, many individuals may receive their Deck hardware sooner than expected. And more recently, in late July, Valve said that, after resolving certain supply chain concerns, it was increasing production to better meet demand.