Valve has provided an update on its Steam Machine orders, saying that anyone currently in the reservation queue will get a chance to purchase by the end of the year. It has been close to a month since Valve started shipping Steam Machine units, a week after pre-orders went live. Reservations have been randomized to minimize bots and scalpers taking up early spots.

Estimates suggest Valve may be selling more than 15,000 Steam Machines per week, and the latest update from the company reveals it is “fulfilling orders on a daily basis” – sending out emails to those waiting in the queue and giving them the option to complete their purchase. Valve is also making sure no one is “leapfrogging” from the waitlist to the purchasing stage.

Steam Machine orders so far

Due to high demand, along with memory and storage shortages, you cannot simply order a Steam Machine and get one right away. The process is split into the waitlist and the reservation queue. Those in the waitlist are waiting to be placed in the reservation queue, and those already in the queue are waiting for an email that lets you finally purchase the system.

We’re fulfilling orders on a daily basis, sending out emails to reservation holders with the option to purchase in the order in which they landed on the list post-randomization. We expect everyone in the reservation queue will have the option to purchase by the end of this year.

Source: Steam Community

Valve is ensuring those in the queue are prioritized, even as different products and regions move at different speeds. The company says it had unintentionally given those on the waitlist a chance to purchase, but this has now been resolved. “No one on the waitlist is leapfrogging over anyone currently holding a reservation; we’re only dipping into waitlists if and when we reach the end of the reservation queue for that product and region.”

“If you have a reservation, you can expect an email offering you the chance to purchase by the end of the year,” says Valve, and for those even further back in the waitlist, there is a chance you’ll be moved up into the reservation queue, though this depends on the product you’re listed for. Once you finally receive a purchase email, you have 72 hours to complete it before Valve moves on to the next person in the queue, so there’s not a whole lot of time to hesitate.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.