Earlier this week, Valve finally confirmed that the Steam Controller will cost $99.99 when it launches next week on May 4th, but strangely there's no sign of it coming with a Steam Machine.
Valve had planned to share specific pricing and release dates back in February, but explained that “limited availability and price increases for critical components” forced the company to “reexamine” its plans. In a recent conversation with Polygon, hardware engineer Steve Cardinali explained that the controller ultimately arrived first “because it doesn't have RAM.” This means “it’s not that complicated to get started out the door.”
For context, AI data centers are now signing deals directly with chip manufacturers to stem growing demand for memory, delaying next-generation plans and driving up prices for consumers. The question is, how will this affect the price of the Steam Machine?
AI-Driven Global Memory Shortage Is Coming to Valve
According to Brad Lynch, EOZ VR project manager for Valve's upcoming hardware, the Steam Machine has been hit the hardest by what some are calling the 'RAMpocalypse'. Lynch posted on “I heard there are internal Valve price targets before and after the RAM spike. Mechanical is the most affected. Frames aren't bad.”
With memory shortages worsening worldwide, it's anyone's guess how much the Steam Machine will cost, but industry analysts like Mat Piscatela have predicted that the Steam Machine will retail for up to $1,000. It's possible that Valve will sell the Steam Machine for less than $700. This would likely mean selling the platform at a loss, given the exorbitant component prices. Even Piscatela described it as “crazy,” so it’s highly unlikely.
Unfortunately, Valve's plan to enter the console market and make it more affordable by releasing a gaming PC hybrid with broad appeal based on the specs of the average Steam user may have hit a wall due to the surging demand for AI data centers. Considering that the controller is already frowning on its $100 price tag, it's hard to imagine that whatever Valve decides for the Steam Machine will be better than this.
- brand
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valve
- operating system
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SteamOS 3 (Arch based)
- processor
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Semi-custom AMD Zen 4 6C/12T up to 4.8GHz, 30W TDP
- solve
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Up to 4K@240Hz or 8K@60Hz
- HDR support
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yes
- original release date
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2026
