[STEAM] Steam Machine Delay Looks Certain As Gaming Industry Faces One of Its Major Issues

[Steam 0]

2025 concluded with RAM prices and demand skyrocketing, impacting not only the

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potential cost but also its Q1 2026 release date, as mentioned by

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. Prices have increased since, and things have worsened, putting the gaming PC in a tough spot that will result in a delay.

Steam Machine Meeting Its “Early 2026” Release Window Is Unlikely

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The

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confirmed that the Steam Machine is gearing up for release in “early 2026,” but that seems very unlikely, thanks to the AI datacentres and their demand for RAM. Amidst the already inflated RAM prices, a

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mentions that AMD and Nvidia are also planning to raise prices for their GPUs while slashing their output.

What do Nvidia and AMD have to do with the Steam Machine, you might ask. The Steam Machine’s GPU is a semi-custom AMD RDNA3, which means if AMD does end up increasing its GPU prices, Valve will most likely increase the price for their gaming PC, which is currently unknown.

With these two tech giants planning to increase GPU prices to compensate for the

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, it’s hard not to think that Valve’s home console/PC hybrid will be delayed. If Valve is still planning to stick to its Q1 2026 release date, that would give them just under three months to announce the price, release date, and release the product.

The Steam Machine’s delay to the latter part of 2026 would mean that its price would escalate even further, as RAM prices aren’t showing any signs of slowing down. Higher prices will lead to limited quantities, making the device a prime target for tech scalpers.

There isn’t a win-win situation available, as even if Valve sticks to the early 2026 release window and releases it at a reasonable price, there’s a high chance that they wouldn’t be able to meet the initial demand and resort to selling limited quantities in waves.

The rising demand from the AI data centres, the constant price hikes for RAM, and the

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all point toward the same thing: the Steam Machine getting delayed.

The Greater the Delay, the Higher the Steam Machine’s Price

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Expect not-so-reasonable pricing! | Image Credit: Valve If you were

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for the Steam Machine, brace yourself, as it’s more likely to cost similar to a mid-range gaming PC than the PlayStation 5 or the Xbox Series X.

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to a private Valve briefing in November 2025, his takeaway was that Valve isn’t planning to subsidize the Steam Machine the way Sony and

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traditionally do with consoles, so you could have expected the price to be closer to a mid-to-high range gaming PC.

It’s a hybrid product that will simultaneously act as a gaming console while also being a fully fledged PC

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, so it was natural that the price won’t be similar to Sony’s or

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’s home consoles.

However, thanks to RAM prices constantly inflating and

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, the Steam Machine’s price might increase even further the more it’s delayed. And with a base price currently unknown, only Valve knows what the final price will amount to.

Whatever it is, it might not be affordable or reasonable if the RAM shortages and price inflation keep up. The Steam Machine aims to blend the convenience of a home console with a traditional PC experience. Hence, the price could land between $700 and $800, depending on the configuration. However, if it’s delayed, expect its price to be even steeper.

For now, all we can do is wait and pray that the RAM situation stabilizes as we move forward through the new year. Do you think the Steam Machine will be delayed? How much will it cost if that’s the case? Let us know in the comments section below.

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