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- Valve has confirmed that the Steam Deck OLED’s storage issues are indeed due to the RAM crisis
- Steam Deck OLED is intermittently sold out in some regions
- The Steam Machine could be at risk of another delay, prohibitive price, or low availability at launch
Valve is currently working on its upcoming Steam Machine device, which is a hybrid gaming PC and console and is slated for early 2026, but many of us have been worried that the memory crunch could derail 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 intermittently sold out in some regions, “due to memory and storage shortages,” as we previously predicted. Both the 512GB and 1TB OLED models are currently sold out in some regions, specifically the US, where the LCD model was discontinued a while back.
While the RAM crunch driving the storage issues isn’t a huge surprise, it’s potentially bad news for Valve’s future hardware plans, especially since it could force the company to discontinue the Steam Deck OLED as well, without having a Steam Deck 2 on the way.
More worryingly, however, it puts the upcoming Steam Machine at risk of yet another delay, prohibitive price, or low availability. The console-like mini PC has already been scrutinized for its 8GB VRAM GPU, which is arguably insufficient for modern games.
With the current memory and inventory shortage, Valve likely won’t be able to replicate loss-making sales like it did with Steam Deck.
The valve is cursed both ways
If Valve decides to launch the Steam Machine at a high price (I now expect it to be at least $1,000), it will not go down well with most consumers. But 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 could be more damaging to the company than ever due to the volatile PC hardware market.
That leaves Valve in a position where an indefinite delay of the Steam Machine may be the best option; to avoid the RAM crisis affecting the retail price, but all signs indicate that the memory shortage is not slowing down, or rather, it is only just beginning.
But the intermittent stock supply of the Steam Deck OLED actually suggests that Valve is temporarily halting the handheld’s production and prioritizing its inventory for the Steam Machine, especially 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 launch in 2026. Valve has earned its reputation as a consumer-friendly company, and I doubt prohibitive pricing for the Steam Machine will change that completely.
However, I’m sure it will rub some consumers the wrong way, and the RAM crisis could once again cause pain for PC gamers looking forward to new technology.
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