Katarzyna Petru
The Valve console and VR set will not debut on the market at the beginning of 2026, as originally announced. Both devices may also be more expensive than planned due to rapidly rising prices of RAM and SSDs. Valve is preparing for more direct competition with PlayStation and Xbox. The Steam Machine console, which connects to the TV via HDMI, was showcased in November, along with the Steam Frame VR goggles, which are set to compete with Meta Quest. Initially, both products were scheduled to hit the market at the beginning of 2026, but it is now known that their release will be delayed.
Rising RAM and SSD prices a key issue for Valve
As expected, a key issue is the rising prices of components. Valve primarily points to RAM and SSDs, the cost of which has significantly increased in recent months. It is these price hikes that affect both the final price of the hardware and the postponement of the release date.
AI Boom Delays Steam Machine Launch
In practice, this means that fans must brace themselves for patience and wait for specific information regarding the exact price and market debut date of the Steam Machine. The company emphasizes that the rising costs of components are directly related to the enormous demand generated by the development of artificial intelligence.
Steam machine parameters
Processor | Graphics | RAM | Storage | Operating system |
|---|---|---|---|---|
AMD Zen 4, 6 cores / 12 threads, clock speed up to 4.8 GHz | AMD RDNA 3, 2.45 GHz, 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM | 16 GB DDR5 | 512 GB or 2 TB SSD | SteamOS 3 |
Steam Machine is experiencing delays, and its price may be higher due to increasing component costs. Valve points to rising costs of RAM and SSD, driven by the AI boom.
Source: Valve
