The rise of Artificial Intelligence, along with the shortage of memory and other components, continues to affect the tech industry. This time, it seems to have impacted Valve’s hardware as well. Several stores around the world have marked different Steam Deck models as “sold out.”
At the same time, Valve still has not confirmed a clear release date for its upcoming hardware, the Steam Frame and Steam Machine, and their prices remain unknown.
Steam Deck Sold Out In Many Regions
The memory shortage appears to be affecting the popular Steam Deck console. Multiple markets around the world are reporting that the device is out of stock. This situation does not only concern the older LCD model, which Valve has already discontinued and confirmed will not return once stock runs out. It also affects the newer OLED models.
Interestingly, some units are still available in Europe. However, customers in parts of Asia and North America are not as lucky. The main cause seems to be the rising cost of memory, which has made it difficult for Valve to maintain stock of its successful handheld console.
So far, Valve has not officially explained the situation. However, it appears clear that the global memory crisis is playing a major role, as it has already impacted other markets and companies.
The memory shortage may also be responsible for delays to Valve’s next hardware products. Recently, Valve announced that it is reviewing the prices of the upcoming Steam Frame and Steam Machine, which were expected to launch early this year. The launch now seems to be delayed, and no new date has been confirmed.
Valve has also stated that it is reviewing pricing for these products, likely due to higher memory costs. As a result, price increases for the new devices seem very likely.
