Valve says Steam Machine is delayed due to RAM crisis — and I'm seriously worried about the price tag now

Shipping schedule to be rethought — and the price, too

05 Feb 2026, 12:36 · TechRadar

News By Darren Allan published 5 February 2026

(Image credit: Valve)

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Valve has said the Steam Machine is effectively delayed
The device is now expected to arrive in the first half of 2026, so by June
The pricing is also being revisited due to the RAM crisis, which has thrown a spanner in the works for the Steam Machine

No sooner had AMD's CEO Lisa Su said the Steam Machine was on track for its original release timeframe, Valve has told us that it's delayed – although not directly.

It's clear enough that there's been a delay, although Valve hasn't quite worded it as such in a new blog post which is framed as a kind of mini-FAQ (which was spotted by Eurogamer).

Let's look at the key part of the statement from Valve first, which addresses the two points that everyone is wondering about the most: namely the launch date and cost of the Steam Machine (as well as the Steam Frame, and Steam Controller).

Valve says: "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 (especially around Steam Machine and Steam Frame).

"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."

Analysis: goalposts moved, wallets now feared for, gamers dismayed

(Image credit: Valve)

There's something I need to take issue with immediately, and that's the stated "goal of shipping all three products in the first half of the year" not having changed. I beg to differ, because Valve said to expect these hardware releases "early in 2026" which I (and many others) took to mean Q1 2026.

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