The Steam Machine is delayed and could be more expensive than expected: Valve confirms supply issues

Valve delays its new Steam Machine due to memory crisis and reviews prices and dates.

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The return of the Steam Machine is not being as straightforward as Valve had hoped. The company has officially confirmed that its new hardware will suffer delays and price adjustments due to the severe global memory and storage crisis currently affecting the tech industry.

According to Valve, the initial plan was to start shipping in early 2026, with a more specific window set for the first quarter of the year. However, the situation has changed significantly over the past few months, forcing the company to rethink both the calendar and the final cost of its devices.

Valve revises launch dates and prices due to memory crisis

In a statement published by Valve itself, the company openly acknowledges the problem: the availability of RAM and storage has drastically decreased, and the prices of these components have skyrocketed. This directly affects products like Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and the new Steam Controller.

Valve assures that its goal remains to launch all these devices during the first half of 2026, but admits that it needs more time to set definitive dates and prices with guarantees. “Circumstances are changing too quickly“, they note, making it clear that they don’t want to commit to figures that may become outdated in weeks.

• This context explains why, since its presentation in November, Valve has avoided specifying prices. The Steam Machine was intended to be positioned near the entry-level PC range, while Steam Frame aspired to cost less than the Index viewer. The controller, on the other hand, sought to compete directly with other advanced controllers on the market.

They don’t want more setbacks

The problem is that reality has hit hard: RAM prices have tripled or even quadrupled in some markets, as manufacturers prioritize supplying servers for artificial intelligence, which is much more profitable. To add more confusion, AMD CEO Lisa Su recently stated that “from a product perspective“, the Steam Machine is ready to start shipping in 2026. A nuance that now makes more sense: the hardware is ready, but the market is not cooperating.

The result is a launch that is likely to be later and possibly more expensive than expected, at a time when Valve needs to fine-tune its strategy if it wants the Steam Machine to truly compete with consoles and traditional PCs.