- Valve has said that the Steam Machine is indeed delayed
- The device is now expected to arrive in the first half of 2026, that is, in June.
- The price is also being revised due to the RAM crisis, which has ruined the Steam Machine process.
As soon as AMD CEO Lisa Su said the Steam Machine was on track for its original release timeframe, Valve told us it was delayed, though not directly.
It’s pretty clear that there’s been a delay, although Valve hasn’t expressed it as such in a new blog post that’s framed as a sort of mini-FAQ (which was spotted by Eurogamer).
Let’s first look at the key part of Valve’s statement, which addresses the two points everyone is wondering about most: namely, the release date and cost of the Steam Machine (as well as the Steam Frame and Steam Controller).
Valve says: “When we announced these products in November, we planned to be able to share specific pricing and release dates by now. But the memory and storage shortages you’ve probably heard about throughout the industry have increased rapidly since then.
“The limited availability and rising prices of these critical components mean we must review our shipping schedule and exact pricing (especially on Steam Machine and Steam Frame).
“Our goal of shipping all three products in the first half of the year has not changed. But we have work to do to nail down concrete pricing and release dates that we can announce with confidence.”
Analysis: the goals have been moved, now there are fears for wallets, players are dismayed
There is one thing I must immediately disagree with, and that is that the stated “target of shipping all three products in the first half of the year” has not changed. I disagree, because Valve said to expect these hardware releases “in early 2026”, which I (and many others) interpret as the first quarter of 2026.
Okay, so there’s a reason Valve said “early” this year, rather than a more specific time frame, and it’s to avoid being limited to the first quarter and a more exact release target. As I’ve said before, April 2026 could still technically be considered relatively early in the year; There’s a little wiggle room here.
However, saying “first half of 2026” is completely changing the objectives. That could mean June, and in no way can that month be considered early in the year: we are in mid-2026 (obviously). So this is a delay, even though Valve has tried to phrase it in terms of “nothing has changed” here.
Clearly, things have changed, and quickly, with respect to memory pricing, as Valve claims, and this has led to it revising the “exact shipping schedule and price.” In fact, Valve also told us here that the plan was to have already shared the release date and price.
We all knew that price was always going to be a big issue here, and that Valve would probably have a hard time controlling it, especially given the meteoric rise in the cost of RAM and, to a lesser extent, SSDs.
So what we have now, unsurprisingly, is a huge disappointment. Online comments lament that we are once again in ‘valve time’ (meaning release dates are being pushed back), and there is a lot of skepticism about whether the first half of 2026 is even a realistic goal. I also can’t say I blame the doubters.
As for the price, the pessimistic cloud that has descended is even thicker than the darkness surrounding the launch deadline. Commenters point out that Valve was already shy about sharing anything related to pricing, and we know there won’t be any subsidy for the PC to alleviate the MSRP that way, potentially. And now it looks like Valve is preparing us to expect the worst by talking about “revisiting” that costing exercise.
Previously, speculation was that the Steam Machine could sell for $800 or so. Taking into account the RAM and storage price spikes, it looks like we could be looking at $900 or more likely closer to $1,000 for the recommended price at the entry level. Some even anticipate that the living room PC could weigh more than a thousand dollars.
As one Redditor, Keraunos01, succinctly put it: “I don’t see this being affordable for most people at this price…”
What’s also concerning here is the indication that Valve doesn’t have a ton of component inventory for these PCs purchased at previously lower (volume) prices, as we have a clear sign that RAM price increases will indeed be a heavy burden on the Steam Machine. Obviously, Valve must have bought some pre-existing parts, but not enough to sustain any kind of release volume until 2026 (presumably).
In summary, then, we’ve gone from a Q1 release to Q2 (in all likelihood), and from an expected $800 to more like $1,000 for the basic Steam Machine (although that’s still pure conjecture, it should be noted).
So a key question is: would you buy the Steam Machine at this asking price instead of a cheaper PlayStation 5 Pro? (Although it’s true that gaming consoles may also face RAM-pressured price increases this year, but Sony could have plenty of room to maneuver if these Valve price predictions come close to the mark.)
Perhaps Valve could look at alternative strategies for entry-level pricing, such as a basic Steam Machine sold without RAM or storage, so some potential buyers could cannibalize memory from an old PC (or purchase it secondhand), for example, to achieve a more acceptable lower-level price.
For now, however, disappointment reigns with this latest information from Valve. The company promises more updates via blog posts, and let’s hope they bring a little more positivity around the Steam Machine again.
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