RAM Crisis Delays Steam Machine and Steam Frame
▼ Summary
– Valve announced its Steam Machine PC and Steam Frame VR headset in November but did not reveal pricing or availability at that time.
– This initial delay was partly due to rising RAM and storage prices caused by shortages driven by AI industry demand.
– Valve has now officially stated it is still not ready to announce specific pricing or launch dates for these devices.
– The company still plans to launch the Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and a new Steam Controller in the first half of the year.
– However, ongoing memory and storage shortages and price increases require Valve to revisit its exact shipping schedule and pricing.
The ongoing global shortage of memory and storage components is creating significant challenges for hardware manufacturers, with Valve’s highly anticipated Steam Machine desktop PC and Steam Frame VR headset now facing delays. The company has officially confirmed that it cannot yet provide concrete pricing or a firm launch schedule for these products, citing the volatile and rapidly increasing costs of RAM and storage as the primary cause. This situation, largely driven by the AI industry’s massive demand for high-bandwidth memory, is now impacting a wider range of consumer electronics, including GPUs and other devices reliant on memory chips.
Valve initially revealed the Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and a new Steam Controller in mid-November of last year, but deliberately held back details on cost and availability. At the time, memory prices were already on the rise. The market conditions have deteriorated significantly since that announcement, forcing the company to reassess its entire launch strategy.
In a recent blog update, Valve stated it still aims to release all three products within the first half of the year. However, the statement clarifies that the current component landscape requires more work before final numbers and dates can be locked in. The company emphasized the need to be cautious, acknowledging how quickly circumstances can change in the current supply chain environment.
“The memory and storage shortages you’ve likely heard about across the industry have rapidly increased since then,” the post explains. Valve noted that when the products were announced, the expectation was to share specific details by now. The limited availability and soaring prices of these critical components mean the company must revisit its exact shipping schedule and pricing, with a particular focus on the Steam Machine and Steam Frame.
This delay highlights a broader industry-wide squeeze affecting countless tech companies. As AI development accelerates, its enormous appetite for advanced memory chips is diverting supply and inflating costs for other sectors. Consumers waiting for these new Steam devices, along with many other upcoming electronics, may need to exercise patience as manufacturers navigate this challenging period of constrained supply and economic uncertainty.
(Source: Ars Technica)
