So the Steam Deck has just launched, and IGN had the good idea to reconnect with GabeN to collect some of his thoughts about the device, as well as asking him what he thinks of the Ukraine conflict. Nah, that second part did not happen.

You can see the video on youtube:

GabeN is always a pleasure to listen to, but in case you don’t have much time, here’s the key take-aways:

• The Deck is going to be a permanent extension of PC Gaming if things work as expected.
• GabeN has been playing on the Steam Deck a lot with Final Fantasy XIV with his son
• GabeN expects that the Steam Deck will increase electronics demand overall, so the time of shortages may not be over anytime soon.
• GabeN does not expect to change the pricing of the Steam Deck, but it looks like the large majority have purchased the most expensive model so far, which made Valve realize they should explore the higher price range further. They had no idea that this is what would happen before launching the device. Also, this may well be distorted by early adopters, and once the device reaches a more mainstream audience the ratio per SKU may differ.
• There will be **other versions of the Deck in the future **- nothing new, but GabeN made it clear once again.
• **Demand for the Steam Deck **has been a lot higher than Valve expected.
• GabeN does not expect games to be made specifically for the Steam Deck, since there’s nothing really special to the device itself in terms of controls.
• Valve is interested to see how people will experiment with the CAD files they have released for the Deck.

If you were wondering why shipments are so slow, well it’s because they are apparently delivered door to door by GabeN himself! He was seen delivering some units next to Seattle.

If you see a Gandalf-like figure wearing a mask approaching your house with a box, don’t send your dogs after them! This may just be** Santa GabeN** a few months late after the December launch window.