Source: Valve
Valve is getting ready to ship its Steam Deck device starting Friday. But the handheld gaming PC's official dock won't be available at that time. The company said it'll launch in "late spring." There isn't much known about the device, but it is described as a way to prop the Steam Deck "while connecting to external displays, wired networking, USB peripherals, and power." You won't need the dock to get the Steam Deck to work; a powered USB-C hub should also work.
Even if you don't get it at launch, it won't affect the gaming experience. "[D]ocking is more akin to plugging a USB-C hub into a PC. Steam Deck runs at full performance in portable mode," the company says.
Aside from giving an update on the dock, Valve also reminds customers of the order rollout. It will send emails to the "first batch" of reservation holders at 1PM ET / 10AM PT on February 25. "Those folks will then have 72 hours to complete their purchase on Steam for the specific model they reserved. If they cancel or do not purchase in this time frame, we'll release their reservation to the next person in the queue," the company says.