In a nutshell: Valve back in April promised it would be ramping up Steam Deck shipments this quarter and based on the latest communications from the gaming company, it seems as though its efforts are paying off. You'll still have to wait a long time if you are just now getting in line, but those already in the queue might get their coveted order e-mail a bit earlier.

On its official Twitter channel for the Steam Deck, Valve said it just sent out the last batch of Q2 reservation e-mails to prospective buyers and that the first wave of Q3 messages will be going out on June 30.

Hello! Some great news on the production front. We just sent the last batch of Q2 emails, and we'll start sending Q3 reservation emails on the 30th.
Production has picked up, and after today we'll be shipping more than double the number of Steam Decks every week! pic.twitter.com/kAHE0zRrV7

— Steam Deck (@OnDeck) June 27, 2022

Valve added that production has picked up and that after today, they'll be shipping more than double the number of Steam Decks every week. Attempting to further clarify the message, Valve staffer Lawrence Yang said that in previous weeks they were shipping x units per week to customers and that starting this week, they'll be shipping out 2x units per week.

Valve planned to start shipping its new handheld in December 2021 but component shortages forced them to delay the launch by two months.

Valve's Steam Deck starts at $399 and scales up to $649 depending on your hardware configuration. Expected order availability for new reservations is currently listed as after Q3, meaning you won't be invited to place an order until October 2022 or later at the earliest.

Don't forget, the annual Steam Summer Sale is still in full swing with discounts on thousands of popular titles. Meta's Oculus Quest summer sale wrapped up yesterday but Nintendo's Big Ol' Super Sale is still going strong through July 6.