Katarzyna Petru
The Valve console and the 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 television via HDMI, was presented in November, along with the Steam Frame VR goggles, which are intended to compete with Meta Quest. Initially, both products were scheduled to go on sale 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 one might expect, a key issue is the rising prices of components. Valve primarily points to RAM and SSDs, the costs of which have significantly increased in recent months. It is these price hikes that are affecting both the final price of the equipment and the postponement of the release date.
The AI boom delays the launch of the Steam Machine
In practice, this means that fans must be patient and wait for specific information regarding the exact price and date of the Steam Machine's market debut. The company emphasises that the increase in component costs is directly related to the immense 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 a delay, and its price may be higher due to the increasing costs of components. Valve points to rising costs of RAM and SSD, driven by the boom in artificial intelligence.
Source: Valve
