- Valve’s OLED Steam Deck is out of stock in the US and reportedly in some regions of Asia
- The RAM crisis seems to be to blame, as Valve is likely to face memory and storage shortages.
- Valve has yet to officially confirm why its OLED wearable is out of stock
As Valve continues to prepare for its upcoming Steam Machine console-style PC and Steam Frame VR headset, concerns about pricing and availability are growing, and one recent development may not do much to ease fears.
Valve’s OLED Steam Deck is currently out of stock in the US and apparently in Japan as well, as reported by Tom’s Hardware. 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 stocks finally run out.
While Valve has not confirmed why Steam Deck OLED stock has suddenly run out, we can infer that the current RAM crisis may be to blame, or at least, that it is having a significant impact on the matter.
There is a significant memory shortage for many PC manufacturers, ultimately increasing 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 US stocks of Steam Deck OLED remained stable in the second half of 2025 and early January of this year, until a sudden and significant drop in February. The sudden shift to out of stock is a telltale sign that the RAM crisis has forced Valve to reconsider pricing for OLED models or push for greater production focus on the Steam Machine, or worse, an early sign of the Steam Deck OLED being discontinued.
While Valve has yet to directly comment on the Steam Deck stock issues, the RAM crisis is confirmed to be a direct cause of the recent Steam Machine delay, as Valve is taking its time to consider pricing and availability, citing “memory and storage shortages” (no surprise there).
So it’s not a stretch to suggest that Valve’s beloved handheld could be facing the same problems right now, especially since the PC hardware market is in such an unsettled state. We’ve seen companies like Microsoft and Sony forced to increase Xbox Series X | S and PS5 consoles, respectively, but this was apparently due to different reasons (including the recent US tariffs imposed by Donald Trump), as Sony recently stated that it has “secured stock” of PS5 units and will not increase the price due to the RAM shortage… at least not yet.
With the Steam Machine still scheduled to launch in early 2026, Valve should 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 ultimately be in doubt, especially if this memory shortage continues.
The best portable game consoles for all budgets
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to receive news, reviews and opinions from our experts in your feeds. Be sure to click the Follow button!
And of course, you can also follow TechRadar on YouTube and tiktok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form and receive regular updates from us on WhatsApp also.
