The Steam Deck's Official Dock Will Be Delayed Further
Due to parts shortages and Covid closures.
Valve today announced that the Steam Deck Docking Station's release will be delayed. The custom designed docking station, which matches the Steam Deck's design language, and doubles as a charging stand, hasn't been given a revised release window. We will just have to wait for further news an unspecified time from now.
In a brief blog post regarding the delay, Valve pinned the issues to "parts shortages and Covid closures at our manufacturing facilities." Part of this may be because China is implementing strict lockdowns due to the pandemic.
We don't have a new release schedule for the Steam Deck Dock. Rather than announce and disappoint again, Valve is pragmatically going to "share more info when we have it." Meanwhile, work continues on making the docking station a readily available product.
Valve claims that the shortage of docking station components and Covid-impacts on its production don't extend to the Steam Deck itself, because it uses "different parts, different factories[.]"
Our last report about the Stem Deck Dock was published in late February, a day ahead of the Steam Deck's official release. At that time Valve stated the dedicated docking station would be available by late spring.
If you don't want to wait for an official dock, you can still use other external hubs. Valve asserts that it is "continuing to work on improving the docked experience for Steam Deck with all USB-C hubs and external displays." Most of the docks available are the wired dongle form factor, though there are a number with stands / device supports, or you could combine a separate dock and stand.
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Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.