Valve has begun notifying those who signed up for the Steam Deck, with a significant portion of the initial 35,000 applicants finding themselves on the waitlist rather than securing a reservation. Community-driven data from a dedicated website indicates that approximately 44.7% of respondents received a reservation from the first batch, while 51.6% were placed on the waitlist. An additional 3.8% reported not yet receiving an email.
The reservation process, which occurred on September 17, involved a one-time random selection for those who signed up via the Steam Store page. Reserved units are offered first, with any unpurchased devices then becoming available to those on the waitlist. Anyone signing up today would join the end of this waitlist, which currently numbers over 18,000 individuals according to the same community reporting.
The Steam Deck is available in two storage configurations: 256GB and 1TB. Community data suggests the 256GB model is the more popular choice among prospective buyers. This preference is attributed, in part, to its lower cost and the option to expand storage with a microSD card, a viable strategy for users primarily focused on game streaming rather than local storage-intensive applications. This mirrors the popularity of the 512GB Steam Deck model upon its initial launch, though the price difference and availability of expandable storage appear to be key factors in current consumer choices.