The Steam Deck Docking Station has been delayed, Valve confirmed.
In a new post shared on Steam, the company confirmed that the Docking Station has been delated due to part shortages and manufacturing facilities closing down due to the current pandemic. A new release window has yet to be confirmed.
Additionally, Valve confirmed that the Steam Deck Docking Station delay won't have any impact on the production schedule and reservation windows for the console, as it uses different parts and is manufactured at different factories.
Hi all. Due to parts shortages and COVID closures at our manufacturing facilities, the official Steam Deck Docking Station is delayed. We're working on improving the situation and will share more info when we have it. This has no effect on production schedule and reservation windows for Steam Decks (different parts, different factories).
In the meantime the team is continuing to work on improving the docked experience for Steam Deck with all USB-C hubs and external displays.
Since its launch earlier this year, Valve has been improving the Steam Deck experience with new updates. The latest SteamOS update, which went live last week, introduced the ability to adjust in-game screen refresh rate on the fly, a new OS-controlled fan curve, and more.
Players now have the option to adjust the in-game screen refresh rate on the fly. The default is 60Hz (which can be frame-limited to 60, 30, and 15fps), but you can now slide it down to 40Hz (with frame limits at 40, 20, and 10fps). Or any number (integer) between those two settings. This feature is great for finding that perfect balance between framerate, game quality, and battery life. Pro-tip, we have found that 40Hz tends to be a sweet spot for responsiveness, consistency, and smoothness. And of course, you can save this setting on a per-game basis.
More information on the Steam Deck console can be found on its official website.