Valve shared updates on the progress of its upcoming Steam-branded hardware, including: steam machineThe announcement of the device's price and release date has unfortunately been delayed, it said. But despite these issues, Valve seems confident that the Steam Machine and other hardware will be released within the originally promised timeframe.
In November 2025, Valve revealed that many of the rumors surrounding new hardware coming from the company were legitimate, unveiling a new Steam Controller, Steam Machine, and an all-new Steam Frame VR headset. The three devices immediately intrigued PC gamers and fans of Valve products, and prospects have been waiting for more information ever since, but now the question is on the horizon.
Valve's Opinion on Steam Machine Power
A Valve engineer explains just how powerful the upcoming Steam Machine system will be and reveals the reasoning behind its technical specifications.
Steam Announces Price Delay and Reveals Release Date
On February 4th, Steam officially announced that the three products for Steam hardware are still shipping, but there have been some issues since their announcement. Valve explains that they originally intended for pricing and release dates to already be revealed at this point, but before hardware shortages became as severe as they are now. However, Valve added that it still plans to release Steam Machines, Steam Frames, and Steam Controllers within the first half of 2026. Due to market and price volatility, he added, the company “has some work to do” to determine specific pricing and schedules, especially for steam frames and steam machines.
Steam's hardware is affected by supply and demand
Demand from a wealth of AI companies and data centers has made it difficult to purchase certain types of chips, storage, and RAM, and for many that are still available, prices have skyrocketed due to dwindling supply. Considering that the Steam Machine is essentially a PC-console hybrid, it requires essentially the same parts that go into the equivalent device. PC gamers have already seen prices for components like RAM and GPUs skyrocket, and more recently SSDs have also been affected. Some gamers began expressing concerns about these shortages affecting the Steam Machine after it was announced, and those thoughts seem warranted.
The AI boom could lead to hardware shortages, potentially affecting non-Valve games as well. Some reports say the increased costs could delay the launch of PlayStation and Xbox's next consoles and potentially increase the prices of everything from existing consoles to TVs. People looking to build or upgrade a gaming PC now are already feeling the pressure as Nvidia GPU prices rise along with other essential components.
Valve seems confident about its launch timing, but gamers may want to relax nonetheless. Fans have pointed out “Valve Time,” a trend where Valve delays the release of games or devices. However, the market is very unstable right now, so even if Valve delivers on its promise to release the device in the first half of 2026, the price may be higher than some fans can manage at the moment.
Valve fans react to the news
Most people who have shared their thoughts on Valve on the official forums seem both concerned and optimistic. Many people thanked Valve for keeping what was happening open and transparent. Some have expressed hope that Valve might consider releasing the Steam Controller independently of the other two devices, with the idea that the controller would use fewer affected components and potentially be released sooner. Others have expressed frustration and anger, but it's largely about AI and its impact on the gaming industry as a whole, rather than taking issue with Valve for circumstances beyond their control.
Source: Steam
