Valve has delayed announcing pricing and release dates for its upcoming Steam Machine and Steam Frame, citing rapidly rising memory and storage costs across the global tech industry.

In a blog post, the US-based company said both products are still planned to launch in the first half of 2026, but more time is needed to finalise details it can “confidently announce”.

“When we announced these products in November, we planned on being able to share specific pricing and launch dates by now,” Valve said. “But the memory and storage shortages you’ve likely heard about across the industry have rapidly increased since then.”

According to Valve, the limited availability and sharp price increases of key components such as RAM and SSDs have forced it to reassess both pricing and shipping schedules.

This is particularly the case for the Steam Machine – a compact, console-style PC designed for living room gaming – and the Steam Frame VR headset (both pictured below).

The announcement highlights a broader issue affecting the tech sector, with memory prices reportedly climbing at unprecedented rates over recent months.

Analysts have pointed to surging demand from AI data centres as a major driver of shortages, pushing up costs for manufacturers that rely on the same components.

Unlike traditional game consoles, Valve has previously said it does not plan to subsidise the Steam Machine’s hardware.

Instead, it aims to price the system in line with a comparable self-built PC offering similar performance.

Initial estimates placed the device at around US$700, but with component prices continuing to rise, that figure now appears increasingly uncertain. By comparison, the base PS5 retails for US$499 in the States.

Valve also reiterated that the Steam Machine will offer some user-upgradeable components, including its NVMe SSD and system memory.

The device is expected to ship with 16GB of system RAM and 8GB of VRAM, a configuration that has already sparked debate about its ability to handle future high-end games.

Despite the delay in pricing details, Valve insists its overall launch window remains unchanged and says it will provide updates as plans are finalised.