The Steam Deck is out and about in the wild after a long time of being teased. If you got your own on release day without having to pay a scalper, congratulations! But if you got it the same way as other people did, then maybe you're one of the luckiest people alive.
A Steam Deck handheld gaming console, taken on August 26, 2021.
That's because a few consoles signed by Gaben, himself, Gabe Newell found their way to gamers' doors. What's even more amazing is that a handful of these Steam Deck units were hand-delivered by the Valve boss to seemingly random folks, with some of them not having ordered the Deck in the first place, according to GamesRadar.
Here is one of the folks whose signed Steam Deck was personally delivered by Newell recently, as per their Reddit post:
As you can see on the post, Gaben signed the newly delivered Deck's carrying case. And if you go through the comments, you'll learn that the console was delivered to somebody who lived close to the Valve headquarters in Bellevue, Washington.
According to the OP, they got a "spammy-looking email" on February 27th saying that a shipment for the Deck arrived "a few days early." They were told that their order could be delivered tomorrow if somebody was home to receive it. The package was delivered the next day, and the OP's wife came to meet the "delivery guy," who apparently had a camera crew with him.
As you know, the "guy" turned out to be the Valve co-founder and CEO. In one comment, the OP's wife was asked to "sign a release," which gives them permission to use her face in a promo video, which could be shared to Valve's Twitter soon.
However, these sightings of Newell, while amazing for fans, don't seem to be something that will go on for a while. According to PC Gamer, it looks to be a one-time promo event in the Seattle area close to Valve's headquarters. So don't go expecting Gaben will come to your doorstep and hand-deliver you your Deck anytime soon, more so if you don't live close to Valve HQ.
Read also: Valve Co-founder Clarifies Steam Ban on Games Using NFTs and Cryptocurrencies
Have You Gotten Your Steam Deck Yet?
As previously mentioned, Valve's new handheld gaming system only shipped last Feb. 25. This includes those who pre-ordered the Deck in 2021, not finding at least one at a reasonable price, anyway.
A quick look at eBay is proof enough that the Deck is now being scalped to high heaven, mere days after its official release. The prices there range from as little as $1100 to as much as $2200, and some of them haven't even shipped yet (one listing says "SHIPS SOON" on it).
One of the best things about the Steam Deck is its price for how much it brings to the table. As such, it is understandable why you'd not want to pay almost twice as much for it and why a replacement would be nice. PCMag shared a few alternatives to the Deck, including the Nintendo Switch, among others. So maybe that one would be right up your alley.
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Story posted on GameNGuide
Written by RJ Pierce
