A new post from the official account for Valve’s popularSteam Deckwarns players that they should only purchase the popular handheld gaming device from Steam or official retailers. Although there have been some minortechnical problems with the Steam Decksince its release last year, the powerful handheld device has proved to be a huge hit with players looking to enjoy PC-only titles on the go.Released in North America and Europe in early 2022, with a launch for Asia following in December of that year, the ability to runover 7,000 compatible games on the Steam Deckhas made it a massive success with gamers. Running on Valve’s Linux-based SteamOS, the Steam Deck can play even the latest PC titles thanks to its Proton compatibility layer which lets games run without requiring users to tweak settings or config files. Although it is now relatively easy for gamers to purchase a Steam Deck from Valve, the handheld device proved to be so popular upon release that throughout 2022 gamers often had to wait weeks or months for their Steam Deck order to arrive.RELATED:Valve Reveals Most Played Steam Deck Games for December 2022In a new tweet from the official Steam Deck Twitter account, Valve cautions gamers that “the only official ways to purchase Steam Deck” are by ordering the device directly through Steam for North American and European customers, or through their partner Komodo for customers in Asia. Closing the tweet with a warning that gamers should “please be careful,” Valve’s cautionary note seems intended to protect gamers from purchasing knock-offs of the popular handheld. Although a number of interestingSteam Deck competitorshave been shown to be in development in recent months, there are also countless counterfeit versions of the popular device for sale on many online marketplaces.
Poking fun at the proliferation of knockoffSteam Decksavailable for sale online, one popular response asked “Wait you guys are not selling it on Wish for 78% off?” Other responses came from frustrated gamers looking to buy Valve’s popular handheld device in countries where the Steam Deck is not officially available. Posting a screenshot of multiple Steam Decks for sale on Amazon, one gamer from Mexico stated that they had no option but to purchase the device from a third party, questioning why Valve would choose to lose money to resellers. Gamers from Australia and New Zealand also joined the conversation, sharing their frustration at being unable to purchase the Steam Deck in those countries.
It’s understandable that Valve wants to prevent its fans from being scammed when trying to purchase a Steam Deck, but its words of warning for would-be customers also highlighted the frustrations of gamers incapable of purchasing the device due to region restrictions. For gamers unable to purchase one in their home country, here’s hoping one of the new features ofthe next Steam Deckis wider availability.
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