Valve has revised the launch timelines for its Steam Machine, Steam Frame VR headset, and Steam Controller hardware due to industry-wide memory and storage component shortages.
The company also reported ongoing stock availability issues for the Steam Deck OLED in certain regions. Reports from industry sources indicate a potential release target of 2028 for a next-generation Steam Deck 2 handheld, subject to similar supply constraints.
Current Hardware Delays and Component Shortages
Valve announced that its Steam Machine, Steam Frame VR headset, and Steam Controller — initially anticipated for an early 2026 launch — have been delayed. The company cited a significant increase in memory and storage shortages across the industry as the reason for the adjustment.
- Original Target: The hardware was initially planned for an "early 2026" or "Q1 2026" release, according to previous statements from Valve and AMD CEO Lisa Su.
- Revised Timeline: Valve later stated it hoped to ship the products within the first half of 2026.
- Current Status: In a March statement, Valve updated this to "we hope to ship in 2026," introducing uncertainty about the final launch period. Product pages for the Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and controller now list their release date as "coming soon," as recorded by SteamDB.
- Cause: Valve attributed the delay to "memory and storage shortages across the industry," which have increased in severity since the products were announced in November. The rising costs and limited availability of these components prompted a reassessment of pricing and shipping schedules.
"We hope to ship in 2026." — Valve, March statement
Steam Deck Availability Issues
Valve has confirmed that the Steam Deck OLED may be intermittently out of stock in certain regions.
- The company attributes this to the same memory and storage shortages affecting its other hardware.
- The Steam Deck has been unavailable in the US and other global locations for several days.
- The 256GB LCD model of the Steam Deck has been discontinued, a change initially announced late last year.
Pricing and Market Conditions
Valve stated that the component shortages necessitated a review of pricing expectations for the Steam Machine and Steam Frame.
- Steam Machine: Valve indicated a prior goal of positioning the console closer to the entry level of the PC market. The system is expected to play most Steam titles at 4K 60FPS using AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) upscaling technology, with an 8GB GPU.
- Steam Frame: Valve aimed for a price lower than its previous headset, the Index, which cost $999.
- Steam Controller: Prior pricing targets were competitive with other controllers offering advanced inputs. A leaked article from Japanese outlet 4Gamer listed a potential release date of May 4, and a video from Techy Talk claimed a price of $99.99 in the US. Valve has not confirmed these figures.
- Market Context: PC gamers observed significant price increases for RAM and SSDs by early 2026, attributed to memory manufacturers prioritizing supply for the AI server market, with companies like Nvidia and Google being major purchasers. Reports indicate these conditions are affecting console strategies at Sony and Nintendo as well.
AMD CEO's Statement
"From a product standpoint, Valve is on track to begin shipping its AMD-powered Steam Machine early this year." — AMD CEO Lisa Su, prior to Valve's delay announcement
Next-Generation Steam Deck 2
Hardware leaker Kepler_L2 reported that Valve is targeting a 2028 release window for its next-generation Steam Deck 2 gaming handheld.
- Potential Delay: Kepler_L2 stated that ongoing RAM and NAND shortages could delay the release into 2029.
- Valve's Design Philosophy: Valve software engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais indicated the company is not interested in releasing a minor upgrade. He stated the company seeks a "substantial generational leap" in performance rather than a 20-50% increase at the same battery life.
- Flexible Development: Unlike traditional console manufacturers who commit to semi-custom system-on-chip (SoC) designs years in advance, Valve's hardware approach allows for greater flexibility. Kepler_L2 suggested that if the Steam Deck 2 is delayed, Valve could use the time to integrate more advanced components, potentially resulting in specifications that exceed those of future consoles like the PlayStation 6 and Xbox Helix.
- Speculated Specifications: The Steam Deck 2 is anticipated to use a semi-custom AMD SoC. Speculation suggests it could incorporate Zen 6 CPU and RDNA 5 GPU architectures, representing a significant upgrade from the original Steam Deck's Zen 2 and RDNA 2 components. This could enable advanced upscaling and ray-tracing capabilities for handheld gaming.
"The company seeks a substantial generational leap in performance rather than a 20-50% increase at the same battery life." — Valve software engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais