Valve Delays Steam Machine and Steam Frame Launches Due to Global RAM and Storage Price Surges
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Valve has delayed the release of the Steam Machine and Steam Frame to the first half of 2026 due to skyrocketing global RAM and storage prices.
Valve time has struck again for players eager to upgrade their living room setups. According to a recent update reported by Eurogamer, Valve has officially pushed back the release window for its highly anticipated Steam Machine and Steam Frame hardware lineup. Originally slated to arrive in the first quarter of this year, the hardware is now expected to debut somewhere in the first half of 2026. The delay comes as a direct result of severe global supply chain pressures that have caused memory and storage prices to double, triple, or even quadruple over the past three months.
The Steam Machine is bearing the brunt of the adjustment because its entire value proposition relies on offering accessible, console-like pricing for living room PC gaming. Building a system with 16GB of DDR5 RAM and a fast NVMe SSD has suddenly become drastically more expensive to manufacture. Meanwhile, the standalone Steam Frame VR headset faces a similar hurdle, as it packs its own dedicated Snapdragon processor, 16GB of LPDDR5X memory, and substantial onboard storage. While the companion Steam Controller remains insulated from component cost spikes, its release is tied to the wider ecosystem rollout.
For players watching the cross-platform space, this delay highlights just how vulnerable hardware manufacturing remains to component market volatility. Valve noted that it had planned to share firm pricing and availability details by now, but those plans are currently on hold while the team reassesses the economics. Additional developer blogs are expected in the coming weeks to address community questions regarding upgradability and performance targets, but for now, players will need to exercise patience before bringing Steam hardware directly to their living rooms. Original reporting and further details can be found over at Eurogamer.
Source: Eurogamer
Tags: Valve, Steam Machine, Steam Frame, PC Gaming, Hardware
Original article: Eurogamer