Following rumors that Gabe Newell was out hand delivering Steam Deck’s to lucky fans, Valve posted a new video that shows the company’s co-founder hitting the streets.
We hired a new delivery guy to help with the Steam Deck launch, not sure he’s going to work out. pic.twitter.com/JgcpTIBX7u
— Steam Deck (@OnDeck) March 1, 2022
The reactions range from pleasant, to bewildered, to casually nerdy. One fan chats amiably with Newell about Final Fantasy XIV, which he recently picked up after tiring of World of Warcraft (they even talk about navigating Final Fantasy XIV’s famously full queues).
The video was released following reports on Reddit that Newell was out and about with a camera crew. The original story continues below.
Valve boss Gabe Newell is apparently hand delivering Steam Decks around the Seattle area, where the developer is based.
Reddit users who preordered the tech have claimed that Newell appeared at their door with a signed Steam Deck, and was even giving them away for free. User bitfiddler0 posted a photo of the case with Newell’s signature and the Steam Deck itself, adding that it was free and the highest specs version.
A camera crew was also allegedly accompanying Newell, meaning the deliveries could be part of a promotional stunt for the Steam Deck’s launch.
Gabe Newell is hand delivering some Steam Deck orders in Seattle with camera crew (along with autographed Steam Deck case) https://t.co/vvh6J7Xbl9 pic.twitter.com/GzqMwL5oRQ
— Wario64 (@Wario64) February 27, 2022
In a separate post, user SeattleRainPidgeons said he saw Newell delivering a Steam Deck to his neighbour, and when he and his flatmates shouted over to Gabe, he handed them one too.
They said in the post: “After delivering my neighbour’s Deck we yelled ‘Hi Gabe’, at which point he asked how many were living in the house, then he went back to his van and grabbed us each a Deck.”
IGN can’t currently verify that this information is correct but photos posted to Reddit do appear to show Newell delivering the machines. IGN has reached out to Gabe Newell and Valve for comment.
In our review in progress, IGN said “the Steam Deck is a well-built piece of hardware that feels good to hold and play on,” but “on the eve of its official launch, it isn’t the smooth user experience” we had hoped for.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.