Steam Deck Protected From Scalpers. How do I Order My Console?

Valve has thrown down the gauntlet to Nintendo by unveiling its new console, the Steam Deck. Pre-orders begin today, July 16, at 10 AM PT, but not everyone will be able to reserve a device. In fear of scalpers the manufacturer has introduced a number of security measures.

How to pre-order Steam Deck?

Steam Deck pre-orders are available here. Initially, the console will be available in the US, Canada, the EU and the UK. Other regions and countries are to be added "soon". The device is scheduled to ship in December 2021.

Valve believes in the success of its console, while at the same time fears that Steam Deck - like the PlayStation 5 - will fall prey to scalpers, buying consoles with the intention of reselling them for a large profit on a wave of considerable interest. To give common gamers a chance, the manufacturer has introduced the following safeguards:

• There must be at least one transaction made on your Steam account before June 2021 (this rule only applies for the first 48 hours of pre-orders);
• A down payment of $5 is required;
• The Steam account must be from the U.S., Canada, European Union or the U.K;
• Only one console can be reserved per account.

An entire library of Steam games in a backpack? Sounds good to me. Source PC Gamer.

After placing a pre-order, your account goes on the queue list. At the time when the console will be available, we will be informed of this by email. This means that the first come, first served rule applies.

You will be able to cancel your reservation at any time. If you do this within 30 days of placing the order, the money will return to your account. After exceeding this deadline, the return will go to your Steam Wallet.

The safeguards are designed to increase the chances of buying the console for ordinary gamers. Profit-seeking scalpers will place orders only after 2 days, so they will be quite far on the queue list, which should deter at least some of them. A similar function is serves by the advance payment - a token 5 dollars will not be of much use to Valve, but will force the chosen payment method to be associated with ab account and perhaps hinder the creation of thousands of multi-accounts to purchase the console.

Steam Deck price and specs

Steam Deck will be available in three variants that differ in both price and specs:

• $399 version: 64 GB eMMC memory and a console case,
• $529 version: faster 256 GB NVMe SSD storage, a console case and a bundle of exclusive content for our profile on Steam,
• $649 version: faster 512 GB NVMe SSD, a console case, a bundle of exclusive content for our profile on Steam, an additional on-screen keyboard theme and an improved display glass.

The remaining specs are expected to be identical regardless of the price variant:

The processor and graphic chip are expected to draw between 4 and 15 watts of power. The console is also equipped with a USB Type C connector, a 3.5mm minijack output, and a microSD card slot. Valve has prepared a special page, presenting not only the full specs, but also detailed sketches of the console with all the outputs and buttons described.

The specs should allow for pleasant gaming away from the desk, although the biggest surprise may be the display. Will the resolution of 1280x800 at 7 inches give satisfactory results in a situation where we are used to higher resolutions on smaller screens of our phones? Time will tell.

1. Steam Deck - official website
2. Steam Deck on Steam
3. Steam Deck is the New Console From Valve