(Image credit: Valve)
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- Valve has confirmed the Steam Deck OLED’s stock woes are indeed due to the RAM crisis
- The Steam Deck OLED is out of stock intermittently in some regions
- The Steam Machine may be in danger of another delay, an unaffordable price point, or low availability at launch
Valve is currently working on its upcoming Steam Machine device, which is a hybrid gaming PC and console and slated for early 2026, but many of us have been concerned that the memory crisis could scupper those launch plans. Unfortunately, a recent development regarding the Steam Deck confirms our suspicions.
On the Steam Deck store page, Valve has admitted that the Steam Deck OLED is out of stock intermittently in some regions, “due to memory and storage shortages”, as we previously predicted. Both the 512GB and 1TB OLED models are currently out of stock in some regions, specifically the US, with the LCD model having been discontinued a while back.
While the RAM crisis being the driving force behind stock woes isn’t a huge surprise, it’s potentially bad news for Valve’s future hardware plans, especially as it could force the company to also discontinue the Steam Deck OLED, without having a Steam Deck 2 in the works.
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More worryingly, though, it places the upcoming Steam Machine in danger of another delay, an unaffordable price point, or low availability. The console-like mini PC has already faced some scrutiny due to its 8GB VRAM GPU, which is arguably insufficient for modern gaming.
With the current memory and storage shortages, Valve likely won’t be able to replicate selling at a loss like it did with the Steam Deck.
(Image credit: Sergey Nivens / Shutterstock / Valve)
Valve is damned either way
If Valve decides to launch the Steam Machine at a high price (I now expect it to be at least $1,000), it’s not going to sit well with most consumers. However, if Valve still manages to keep prices within a reasonable range — or in other words, sell the Steam Machine at a loss — the financial strain may be more damaging to the company than ever, due to the unstable PC hardware market.
It leaves Valve in a position where an indefinite delay of the Steam Machine may be the best option; to avoid the RAM crisis from impacting its retail price, but all signs suggest the memory shortage isn’t slowing down, or rather, it’s only just getting started.
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However, the intermittent stock supply of the Steam Deck OLED actually hints at Valve temporarily halting the handheld’s production and prioritising its inventory for the Steam Machine, particularly in the storage capacity department.
This is the worst time for Valve to launch the Steam Machine, especially since the Steam Frame is also slated for an early 2026 launch. Valve has earned its reputation as a consumer-friendly company, and I doubt that unaffordable pricing for the Steam Machine will completely change that.
However, I’m certain it will rub some consumers the wrong way, and the RAM crisis could once again cause pain for PC gamers looking forward to new tech.
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