- Valve reaffirms its commitment to launch the Steam Machine in 2026
- There had already been rumors of a delay until 2027.
- RAM crisis could still impact retail prices
Valve has once again committed to releasing the Steam Machine sometime in 2026, after concerns that the RAM crisis could lead to a delay – although it appears that the original goal of getting the hardware to users before the end of March will be missed.
In a blog post published on Friday, Valve initially stated that “we hope to ship in 2026” regarding the Steam Machine. This raised alarm bells for some and seemed to cast doubt on promises made to launch the device sometime this year.
However, as The Verge reports, Valve has since clarified that the Steam Machine will indeed appear sometime this year. “Nothing has really changed on our end,” Valve PR representative Kaci Aitchison Boyle told The Verge.
The wording of the blog post has also been updated accordingly, committing to a 2026 arrival of the Steam Machine – with the Steam Frame wireless virtual reality headset and the Steam Controller acting as an accessory for both.
Price to be confirmed
Confirmation that we will receive the Steam Machine sometime in 2026 is absolutely welcome news, although initial promises of an “early 2026” or Q1 (January, February, March) launch seem unlikely to be fulfilled at this stage.
It’s clear that the current RAM shortage, driven by growing demand from AI data centers, has had an effect on all hardware manufacturers. Valve has previously admitted that memory supply chain restrictions are impacting Steam Deck OLED stock levels.
It remains to be seen how this will play out in terms of Steam Machine availability and pricing. The console-style mini PC will come with 16GB of DDR5 RAM and 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM, according to specifications previously released by Valve.
“Further updates will be shared as we finalize our plans,” says Valve, so watch this space. Last month, it looked like we’d see the device in the first half of the year, as Valve announced that it would “review” its shipping schedule and pricing plans.
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