Valve’s much-anticipated Steam Machine is hitting a pause button. Instead of releasing on schedule, the company is now eyeing a broader launch window in the first half of 2026, due to ongoing shortages and rising prices for RAM and storage components. Valve is still aiming to ship in the coming months, but the final price tag and exact release date are still up in the air.
Valve delays Steam Machine due to RAM crisis
The company was originally gearing up to show off the Steam Machine in early 2026, and even AMD sounded confident it would get units out the door. Fast forward to now, and the situation has changed. Valve has told fans it’s holding off on setting a release date or price, not because the machine isn’t ready, but because memory modules and solid-state drives are in short supply and getting pricier by the day.
It’s not just Valve feeling the heat. Industry insiders say the AI boom is hogging massive amounts of high-end DRAM, NAND, and big storage drives for data centers. That leaves slimmer pickings for gaming gear and consumer tech, driving prices up and stocks down.
“Memory is in the midst of a generational supply and demand mismatch,” Morgan Stanley chip analyst Joe Moore details in his report.
Even with the supply issue, Valve isn’t hitting the brakes. The company is pressing ahead with final testing of the Steam Machine, a small, cube-shaped gaming PC powered by a custom AMD CPU and GPU. Valve claims it packs about six times the performance of a Steam Deck, aiming for smooth 4K gaming at 60fps, with FSR upscaling in tow.
Good news for tinkerers: the company has confirmed that RAM and SSDs will be easy to upgrade once it is out. Additionally, Valve has pushed back its standalone Steam Frame VR headset and controller, citing the same parts shortage. The company says it will share more precise plans for all upcoming hardware as soon as possible.
