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Ever since Valve announced the next generation of Steam Hardware, we have been overwhelmingly excited, awaiting more information about it. The Steam Machine, a console-like box for the TV, the Steam Frame, a VR headset, and the Steam Controller have been at the top of my mind, and I can't wait for the release. There has been a lot of speculation on an exact release date and pricing, but it hasn't been announced just yet. Now, we have an explanation why, directly coming from Valve.

Steam Machine / Steam Hardware family

In a new blog post, Valve confirmed that the reason why we don't have an announcement regarding the price or release date of these products is due to the RAM (memory) and storage shortages across the industry. However, they are still planning on shipping all of the products within the first half of the year, indicating that the new hardware may come a little later than the "Early 2026" prediction:

When we announced these products in November, we planned on being able to share specific pricing and launch dates by now. But the memory and storage shortages you've likely heard about across the industry have rapidly increased since then.  The limited availability and growing prices of these critical components mean we must revisit our exact shipping schedule and pricing (especially around 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 land on concrete pricing and launch dates that we can confidently announce, being mindful of how quickly the circumstances around both of those things can change. We will keep you updated as much as we can as we finalize those plans as soon as possible.

Valve - Blog Post 2/4/26

While it is a shame that the delayed announcements came from these shortages, which is thanks to AI, at least we do have official confirmation. I hope everything gets sorted and figured out soon, not just for Valve's upcoming products, but for the entire industry at this point.

They also used this blog post to answer some other burning questions about the Steam Machine and Steam Frame. As for the Steam Machine, they mentioned that they are working on HDMI VRR and working on improved upscaling and optimizing ray tracing to improve how games will perform on it, and confirmed that we will be able to upgrade the SSD and RAM if desired. They will also be sharing faceplate CAD and specs so that people can make their own.

Here's hoping we can get some more information soon, but in the meantime, Valve plans to post more blogs to deep-dive into specific features and more.

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Noah Kupetsky
A lover of gaming since 4, Noah has grown up with a love and passion for the industry. From there, he started to travel a lot and develop a joy for handheld and PC gaming. When the Steam Deck released, it just all clicked.
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