Valve's Steam Machine delayed by AI-driven component shortages — pricing and launch dates for its VR and controller remain a mystery while RAM and storage prices soar

Valve's ready-made miniature Steam Machine gaming PC was announced in November last year with a tentative release window of early 2026, targeting the Spring. I predicted that the component pricing crisis might affect those plans (as did many PC gaming enthusiasts), and a recent blog post from the company has confirmed those suspicions.

Production costs of RAM and similarly critical PC parts have been an issue for a while, and Valve says the shortages have "rapidly increased" since its announcement. The Steam Machine reveal came as part of a trio, with a new Steam Frame VR headset and an all-new design for its failed Steam Controller, but exact pricing plans, particularly for the first two, have now changed.

Valve's plan to ship all three of its new hardware variants in the first half of 2026 "has not changed", but the latest post clarifies that it currently can't confirm an exact release date, nor prices for any of them. These hardware shortages driven by AI certainly seemed unavoidable for the Steam Machine and its siblings, leaving impatient gamers with little choice but to build their own.

There aren't any concrete dates to look forward to regarding new price plans, as expected, given the uncertain state of component availability. For now, Valve says it will "keep you updated as much as we can as we finalize those plans as soon as possible," and will instead dedicate some time to answering common questions about the upcoming hardware.

Windows Central's take

Valve maintains that "the majority of Steam titles play great at 4K 60FPS with FSR" on Steam Machine, which is undoubtedly the part I'm interested in confirming for myself.

While image upscaling technology like AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) is a reasonably capable answer to NVIDIA's Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), it's a particularly bold claim for a PC with only 8GB of VRAM in its GPU.

I've been more than ready to spend my own money on the Steam Machine and that weird Steam Controller puck since its announcement, but the longer we wait, the more it starts to feel like the window of opportunity is getting smaller.

If the SteamOS-based PC only supports an older version, like FSR 3.1, rather than the modern "Redstone" (FSR 4), that claim will be heavily scrutinized. Playing Balatro at 4K60? Sure, but games like Borderlands 4 with performance issues and questionable 'Steam Deck Verified' badges? Probably not.

Have component pricing issues changed your mind about Valve's upcoming Steam Machine and Steam Controller, or do you still plan to buy?

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