The steam hardware feed just published news about the reservation queue:
We launched Steam Frame last month, and with the reservation queues and waitlist in place we wanted to give folks a better idea of when they can expect to see an email with the option to purchase.
…
If you have a reservation You can now check on your expected order window by going directly to the Steam Frame product page while logged in to your Steam account. Once there, you’ll see confirmation that you’ll receive your order email either by December, or in 2027. Those in the 2027 camp will receive further (more detailed) information on their expected order timing by January.
I don’t know if they’re rolling it out differently in different regions, but I cannot see it right now and I am in the reservation queue for Europe/Germany.
😐
Edit: Now it’s telling me that I’m in the 2027 group. Oh well.
I see. Thanks for your reply and for sharing your understanding! If that’s the case, I believe that Valve could have done a much better job messaging and managing expectations. As things stand, it seems reasonable that people in the reservation queue would have expected to be able to purchase a unit in the near-term (not 4-6 months (or more?) in the future). What an unnecessary buzzkill. :-/
I completely agree with you. I think the intention behind their system was good, and is better than the alternatives they’ve used for the Steam Deck and Controller, but they really need to clarify and/or relabel both lists.
That being said, my comment was based on what I remember reading during the Steam Machine’s release and I assume it applies to the Frame as well. But I don’t remember at all if it was from an official source or simply what people were theorizing in various threads at the time.
Understood. Thanks for the clarification!