Valve Bummed Over Steam Machine Delays as RAM Crisis Disrupts Launch Plans

When Valve announced the Steam Machine late last year it became one of the most anticipated hardware releases of 2026. Gamers have been excited to see what the company has in store after the success of its Steam Deck handheld. However, the shortages and staggering price increases affecting the storage and memory markets have thrown a wrench in Valve’s original plans, which engineers addressed during an interview with PC Gamer.

Designer Lawrence Yang shared that the hardware group at Valve is “bummed” at the current state of the component market, which has been dubbed RAMageddon. "At the very least, we're not the only ones in this boat. Like everyone's kind of figuring out how to overcome these obstacles and challenges—RAM shortages, memory shortages, price hikes, everything.”


The challenging landscape has left the release date of the Steam Machine in question, after the initial announcement suggested a release sometime in early 2026. Unfortunately, the team didn’t have any new information to provide when it comes to either a new release date or pricing of the device. Engineer Steve Cardinali says that "It's frustrating. But yeah, we're working our hardest to get resolution there."

It’s not all doom and gloom, though, because the company has started taking orders for the Steam Controller, which should make PC gaming a more console-like experience. While many speculated that the controller would ship alongside the Steam Machine, Yang revealed that “there was no real desire or need to artificially make them ship simultaneously because then that would just push everything else out."

Hopefully Valve is able to sort things out and deliver the system sooner rather than later. If you want a sneak peek at the kind of performance the Steam Machine will provide, check out our rundown here.