Steam Deck fans who have preordered the gaming system may have just cracked the formula for when they can expect to see their device ship out. Over on Reddit, users have managed to excavate data from Steam's source code for their preorders, using that information to roughly nail down the window in which they'll receive an order email letting them know that the Steam Deck has been shipped out.

Using this "epoch time" code, the information is compiled into a list with other users who also supplied information from their preorders. Using the system, people can track down the text "rtReserveTime" and copy the number into the Reddit thread. Once calculated--using the epoch converter link--the number will detail how many seconds passed since Jan 1, 1970, and represents when Valve accepted their preorder.

With that number discovered, you'll be able to roughly determine your place in Valve's line for your Steam Deck. You can see just how far the queue progressed since the last set of orders on the main Reddit thread for this topic.

Since the first batch of units shipped, Steam Deck owners have performed a number of experiments with Valve's mobile gaming PC. One modder discovered how to make the Steam Deck more powerful--and much less portable--with an external GPU, a new firmware update has made offline mode more convenient, and Xbox Cloud streaming is kind of supported through the Edge browser on the system.

In GameSpot's Steam Deck review, Alessandro Barbosa called the device a "wonderfully constructed and powerful portable PC." Preorders of the Steam Deck are currently going out in waves, with the second wave slated to begin rolling out in April.