Valve has shared an update on the progress of its upcoming Steam-branded hardware, including The Steam MachineAnd it was revealed that there was an unfortunate delay in announcing the pricing and release date of the devices. However, despite these issues, Valve seems confident that Steam Machine and its other hardware will still launch within the originally promised timeframe.
Back in November 2025, Valve revealed that many of the rumors surrounding new hardware coming from the company were legitimate, revealing the new Steam Controller, Steam Machine, and all-new Steam Frame VR headset. The three devices immediately drew excitement from PC gamers and fans of Valve products, and those potential customers have since been waiting for more information, but now there are problems on the horizon.
VALVE COMMENTS ON STEAM MACHINE POWER
A valve engineer comments on how powerful the upcoming steam engine system will be, and reveals the reasons behind its technical specs.
Steam announces delay in revealing pricing and release date
On February 4, Steam officially announced that three pieces of Steam hardware are still on their way, but there have been some hiccups since the announcement. Valve says that it was originally revealed at this point for pricing and launch dates, but that the hardware shortage was as severe as it is now. However, Valve still intends to ship the Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and Steam Controller within the first half of 2026. It added that the company “will have to work” to determine concrete pricing and schedules, particularly for steam frames and steam machines, due to market and pricing variability.
Steam's hardware is affected by supply and demand
Due to demand generated by large-scale AI companies and datacenters, certain types of chips, storage and RAM have become difficult to obtain, and many available for purchase have seen prices increase as supply dwindles. Given that the Steam Machine is essentially a PC-console hybrid, it essentially needs parts that go on similar devices. PC gamers have already seen the price of components like RAM and GPUs skyrocket, and even SSDs have recently been affected. Some gamers began to express concern about these shortcomings affecting the Steam Machine in the time since its announcement, and it seems that those opinions were valid.
The AI boom has created enough hardware shortages that it could potentially impact gaming beyond Valve. Some reports say that rising costs could lead to delays in the next consoles from PlayStation and Xbox, while prices for everything from existing consoles to TVs could potentially rise. Those looking to build or upgrade a gaming PC these days are finding Nvidia GPUs increasingly expensive, along with other essential components.
While Valve seems confident at the time of its release, gamers may want to brace themselves anyway. Fans have pointed to “Valve Time”, a tendency for Valve to see delays in the launch of its games or devices. However, since the market is so volatile right now, even if Valve keeps its promise to release the devices in the first half of 2026, the price might be more than some fans can manage right now.
Valve fans react to the news
Most who share their thoughts with Valve on the official forums seem concerned but optimistic. Many have thanked Valve for being open and transparent about what's going on. Some have expressed hope that Valve might consider releasing the Steam Controller independently of the other two devices, given that the controller likely uses less affected components, and could potentially be released sooner. Others have expressed frustration and anger, but this has largely been directed at AI and its impact on the gaming industry as a whole, rather than at Valve for the situation being out of its control.
Source: Steam
