In a recent Steam update, Valve announced the delay of Steam Deck’s Docking Station, citing part shortages and the COVID-enforced shutdown of production facilities, fortunately, that would not impact the supply of Steam Deck. According to Valve, the official docking station had to be delayed due to a shortage of parts and COVID shutdowns of manufacturing facilities used for its manufacturing. Third-party docks would do the trick for Steam Deck users most of the time, but Valve announced an official dock with the device itself, only to not make one in the original spring 2022 release window. Valve said in a blog post that due to parts shortages and COVID shutdowns from its manufacturing partners in China, a docking accessory was delayed for Steam Deck.
While the availability of the accessory has been delayed once more due to COVID-related shortages and issues, the company assured those who reserved the Steam Deck that delays do not affect the Stream Deck’s production schedule and availability window since Steam Deck Docking Station uses different parts and is manufactured in different factories. The delay was announced yesterday on 1st June through a Steam post, with Valve apologizing for the disruption, and explaining why the Steam Decks next dock was delayed: The dock allows players to use a portable PC via TVs or monitors and was expected to launch in the late Spring.
Valve shared yesterday that their official Steam Decks Dock, made for feeding the Steam Decks visuals through to a TV or monitor (and connecting a pair of USB peripherals), has been delayed once more. Valve has already confirmed that a docking station would not increase performance, since the Steam Deck is already running at maximum performance in portable mode, so there is nothing to be lost by purchasing another docking solution aside from a more stylish design.
The dock is meant to support the Steam Deck, allowing you to plug in external displays, USB peripherals, and power cables, to enable far longer sessions compared to its 2-to-8-hour battery life when disconnected. In addition to these ports, the Steam Decks official dock has an HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4, gigabit Ethernet jack, a power outlet, USB-C power delivery pass-through input, and USB Type-C cable to plug into the Steam Deck.
A couple of months later, the Docking Station silently received a refresh of its single-spec in April, and Valve changed port configurations from USB 2.0 to 3 USB 3.11 Type-A connections. The delays do not mean that you cannot turn the Steam Deck into a desktop computer using the informal USB-C Hub and your external monitors and accessories, you simply need to look for some other 3rd party solution until the dock finally arrives.
