So in case you forgot, were unaware, or were otherwise busy getting repeatedly killed in Elden Ring, Valve’s new handheld console, the Steam Deck, launched at the end of last month, to, uh, decent reception? Honestly, talk about it in general is pretty quiet - the limited shipments seem to have put a stop to any big wave of hype spreading across the internet.
And, if you thought getting hold of a PS5 was hard, this really isn’t much better. Gamers have to place a reservation online, and when enough stock is available, they can finally complete their purchase. At the minute, if you’ve not already made a reservation, availability isn’t expected until Q3 this year, so it’s a bit of a wait. Things are made substantially worse if you were one of the lucky few who managed to get a Q1 shipment, only to have it stolen.
Be sure to check out the video below to see the Steam Deck in action.
Unfortunately, yes, this is a thing that’s actually happening. As reported by PC Gamer, a number of disappointed gamers have been taking to Reddit to share their nightmares of their Steam Decks going mysteriously missing in transit.
“The day my deck was set to be delivered, I get a notification on my phone that my package was ‘delivered.’ I excitedly run outside to grab my brand new Steam Deck. I open the door, nothing's there,” wrote Defenex. “I have the realisation that I never got the motion notification from my video doorbell that I normally get when a package is delivered. I check [its] video logs[,] and sure enough, no truck even drove into my driveway.”
Others were quick to point out the fact that the handheld’s packaging isn’t exactly discreet - as PC Gamer noted, it comes with an absolutely huge lithium battery sticker, as well as a bright yellow label reading “fragile electronic equipment”, making it a pretty obvious that there’s some expensive tech inside.
Advert
“I really wish that Valve put a general package on top of the small deck package so it does not show the content of it[,] to avoid it being stolen[,] or to have a signature required and if you are not there to sign it, it becomes ready for pick up at the Fedex location,” wrote vVphantomVv. “1000% this. Valve please start shipping these in a discreet box,” agreed OSODaGawd.
Thankfully, Defenex was offered a full refund, and also eventually received their Steam Deck after Valve got involved with Fedex, so at the very least this person’s situation turned out okay. Just, really try to make sure you’re at home to take the delivery if you’re expecting one of these.