After the disappointing news that both the Valve Steam Deck and the Panic Playdate handheld consoles were facing issues pushing their availability into 2022, today Analogue revealed its highly anticipated Pocket will actually start shipping on December 13 for the first wave of pre-orders.
Many who had pre-ordered the Analogue Pocket were nervous that the handheld would be facing the same delays as the Steam Deck as Valve is dealing with the same supply chain issues affecting manufacturers around the world, and the Panic Playdate, whose first run was found to have severe issues with their rechargeable batteries, requiring them to be completely replaced—an expensive and time-consuming process given all units had to be shipped back overseas.
But this morning a Gizmodo staffer received the following email from Analogue regarding their Pocket pre-order:
Analogue Pocket pre-orders will begin shipping on December 13th. Due to unprecedented shipping congestion, your order will ship and be delivered between December 14th - December 30th.
...
We understand that some of you will be away during the holiday season and would prefer delivery in the new year. With this in mind, we are offering to hold your package over the holiday period and start shipping on January 3rd. If you cannot accept delivery between December 14th - December 30th, you should request a hold for your order.
Please reply to this email or contact support@analogue.co to change your address, request a hold or cancel your order. Please provide a complete and accurate address.
The final date for any changes to your order is November 28th. After this date, we cannot accept any changes to your order as we begin the fulfillment process.
If you do not need to change your shipping address or request a hold on your order, please do not reply to this email. Your order will ship in December.
The company also shared the shipping news on its website and its social media accounts:
So while Analogue is subject to the same shipping delays that every other company that’s trying to get its products out the door for the holidays is dealing with, it sounds like those who were among the first to pre-order the Pocket might be lucky enough to get their console before 2021 draws to a close—but with shipping ETAs extending as far as December 30, it could be a real buzzer-beater for some.