- Valve’s Steam Deck OLED is out of stock in the US and, reportedly, parts of Asia
- The RAM crisis appears to be the cause, as Valve is likely facing memory and storage shortages.
- Valve has yet to officially confirm why its OLED handheld is out of stock
As Valve continues to prepare its upcoming console-style PC Steam Machine and the Steam Frame VR headset, concerns over pricing and availability are growing – and a recent development might do little to allay fears.
Valve’s Steam Deck OLED is currently out of stock in the US, and apparently in Japan too, as Tom’s Hardware reports. This includes the LCD model which was discontinued in December 2025 (for US consumers) and is about to leave the market in all regions once stock is exhausted.
While Valve hasn’t confirmed why stock of the Steam Deck OLED suddenly dried up, we can infer that the current RAM crisis could be the cause – or at the very least, that it’s having a significant impact on the matter.
There is a significant shortage of memory for many PC makers, which ultimately increases the cost of producing devices like the Steam Deck OLED as demand for RAM has skyrocketed due to the rapid expansion of AI data centers.
It’s also worth noting that Steam Deck OLED stock in the United States was stable during the second half of 2025 and early January of this year, until a sudden and significant drop in February. The sudden shift to no stock is a telltale sign that the RAM crisis has forced Valve to reconsider pricing for OLED models or focus more on producing the Steam Engine – or worse, an early sign that the Steam Deck OLED is being discontinued.
While Valve has yet to comment directly on the Steam Deck’s stock issues, the RAM crisis is confirmed to be a direct cause of the Steam Machine’s recent delay, as Valve is taking its time reviewing pricing and availability, citing “memory and storage shortages” (no surprise there).
So it’s not a stretch to suggest that Valve’s beloved handheld might be facing the same issues right now, especially since the hardware market is in a very unstable state. We’ve seen companies like Microsoft and Sony forced to raise prices on the Xbox Series S and PS5 consoles, respectively, but that appears to be for different reasons (including recent US tariffs imposed by Donald Trump), since Sony recently said it had “secured a stockpile” of PS5 units and would not be raising the price due to RAM shortages… not yet, anyway.
With the Steam Machine still scheduled for release in early 2026, Valve is expected to share updates on pricing and availability soon, which should finally address consumer concerns about affordability. However, the lifespan of the Steam Deck OLED on the market could finally be called into question, especially if this memory shortage continues.
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