Steam Machine: Why Valve's PC gaming console has been delayed - and might become even more expensive
PC gaming giant Valve has delayed the release of its upcoming Steam Machine console.
A successor to the Steam Deck, the Steam Machine had been touted as the cheaper alternative to building your own gaming PC.
Running off SteamOS, a Linux off-shoot that gives users unfiltered access to their Steam accounts, the Steam Machine will allow gamers to buy, download and install games from Valve’s digital marketplace - just like a games console.
The Steam Deck was launched in 2022, and towards the end of last year Valve unveiled their newest creation, scheduled for a Q1 2026 release. It would be coming alongside its own VR headset and controller.
But in a blog post this week, Valve has announced that the release date will now be “revisited” due to an issue that has gripped the entire gaming industry.
A spokesperson said: “When we announced these products in November, we planned on being able to share specific pricing and launch dates by now. But the memory and storage shortages you've likely heard about across the industry have rapidly increased since then. The limited availability and growing prices of these critical components mean we must revisit our exact shipping schedule and pricing.
“Our goal of shipping all three products in the first half of the year has not changed. But we have work to do to land on concrete pricing and launch dates that we can confidently announce, being mindful of how quickly the circumstances around both of those things can change.
“We will keep you updated as much as we can as we finalise those plans as soon as possible.”
For those not in the loop, the price of RAM has skyrocketed since the back-end of 2025. AI data centres like OpenAI and Microsoft have been buying DDR5 RAM en masse, to give their AI systems enough firepower to meet demand.
Companies like Nvidia have stopped selling new RAM to GPU partners, and getting hold of any online is like trying to catch the bottom of a rainbow.
In November, 16GB of DDR5 would cost £67 on Amazon, but will now set you back £148.
The gaming industry as a whole has been struck hard by this, with Sony confirming that work on a new console - likely the PlayStation 6 - cannot push onward due to the RAM shortage.
According to rumours, the price of the Steam Machine could be pushed up by the lack of available RAM, with industry experts suggesting it could comfortably exceed £800 per console. The Steam Deck launched at £493 upon release.