Valve breaks its silence on Steam Deck OLED scarcity and yes, it's because of the RAM and storage crisis

Valve breaks its silence on Steam Deck OLED scarcity and yes, it’s because of the RAM and storage crisis | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these Memory Many consumer electronics manufacturers ‘will go bankrupt or exit product lines’ by the end of 2026 due to the AI memory crisis, Phison CEO reportedly says Memory The three big players in computer memory are all building new factories but it probably won’t help DRAM prices until 2028, if then Hardware Steam Machine will play the majority of Steam titles ‘at 4K 60 fps with FSR’, but some will require more upscaling than others, Valve says Hardware Bloomberg claims ‘rampant AI demand for memory’ is forcing Sony to consider pushing back the launch of its next-gen PlayStation as far back as 2029 Handheld Gaming PCs All models of Steam Deck are sold out in the US and fingers are inevitably already pointing at the memory crisis Memory Explainer: The RAMpocalypse is making memory, SSDs, and even GPUs much more expensive, and it’s all down to AI Graphics Cards Nvidia reportedly won’t release any new RTX graphics cards this year, and the RTX 60-series is said to be pushed back, too Processors Both Intel and AMD have warned Chinese customers of delays on server CPU shipments, report says, as AI demand begins to eat into the processor market Hardware Here’s what we think the Steam Machine will cost now that Valve’s admitted ‘limited availability and growing prices’ have forced it to change plans SSDs Unfortunately, all of that doomsaying last year was correct and SSD prices are surging as a result of the memory crisis Graphics Cards Intel’s Arc B770 gaming graphics card claimed to be dead and the reason is inevitably AI Hardware ‘Memory and storage shortages’ means Valve can’t give us pricing or release dates for the Steam Machine and Steam Frame Memory Memory crisis and sky-high DRAM prices could run past 2028 as Samsung and SK Hynix opt to ‘minimize the risk of oversupply’ Memory New report claims Samsung, SK Hynix and Sandisk are all planning to double the price of NAND memory chips this year Memory Tech price rises: Tracking the PC memory and SSD supply crisis, now with added GPU fun PopularNEW: PC Gamer Clips!Arc RaidersBest PC gearFalloutGame Quizzes Hardware Handheld Gaming PCs Steam Deck Valve breaks its silence on Steam Deck OLED scarcity and yes, it’s because of the RAM and storage crisis News By Shaun Prescott published 17 February 2026 AI continues to mop up all the components you need to play videogames. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Future) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 5 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter PC Gamer Get the PC Gamer Newsletter Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday GamesRadar+ Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you’re going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Signup + Every Thursday GTA 6 O’clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O’clock experts. Signup + Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what’s on the horizon. Signup + Every Thursday The Setup Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more. Signup + Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo’s new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play. Signup + Every Saturday The Watchlist Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we’ve got you covered. Signup + Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Reports last week that the Steam Deck is sold out in the United States prompted speculation ranging sober through to outlandish, but the actual reason is simple and you’ve likely already guessed it: like the rest of the games industry, Valve has been hit by the memory crisis.”Steam Deck OLED may be out-of-stock intermittently in some regions due to memory and storage shortages,” Valve now acknowledges on the Steam Deck store page, confirming that the handheld’s scarcity can be blamed on the same phenomenon that has delayed the Steam Machine, jacked up RAM and SSD prices, and threatens to shutter “many electronics manufacturers”.Even the likes of Sony and Nintendo are being hit hard: Sony is considering pushing back its next-gen console until as far as 2029, while Nintendo is considering a price increase on the Nintendo Switch 2. Related articles All models of Steam Deck are sold out in the US and fingers are inevitably already pointing at the memory crisis Explainer: The RAMpocalypse is making memory, SSDs, and even GPUs much more expensive, and it’s all down to AI ‘Just last week alone, we were notified that costs had risen by 50–100%’: SSD maker Transcend further tightens its belt amid delayed Samsung and Sandisk shipments At time of writing, all Steam Deck OLED models remain available in the UK and Australia.While the Steam Machine is still on track to release in the first half of 2026, Valve hoped to announce a price and firmer release date by now. “But the memory and storage shortages you’ve likely heard about across the industry have rapidly increased since then,” Valve wrote last week. “The limited availability and growing prices of these critical components mean we