Valve was supposed to launch three Steam devices together: the Steam Controller, Steam Frame, and Steam Machine. However, the company only launched the controller, with the other two devices nowhere in sight, and a new report hints at the reasons why.
According to a well-known leaker, Brad Lynch (@SadlyItsBradley on X), the Steam Machine has received an internal price hike due to the ongoing memory and NAND crisis. Here’s more on the story.
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Valve reportedly increased the Steam Machine’s price ahead of launch
Brad Lynch (@SadlyItsBradley on X), well-known leaker in the VR/XR space with a solid reputation for Valve-related info, has claimed that the internal price of the Steam Machine has skyrocketed compared to what Valve had planned to target before the PC component crisis.
According to Brad Lynch, both the Steam Machine and the Steam Frame have been affected by the crisis, although the former is supposedly in deeper waters than the latter. That’s because the upcoming Steam Machine features 24 GB of combined system and video RAM, and memory prices have reached record heights.
Moreover, in an interview with Polygon, Valve’s hardware engineer Steve Cardinali said this regarding the Steam Controller’s launch:
“This doesn’t have RAM in it, and it’s not as complicated to start getting out the door for us. We’re ready for it. We wanted to build up quantity so that we could try to address everybody who wants one at launch, but it’s possible that the demand for it far exceeds our expectations.”
Essentially, Cardinali said the Steam Controller launched early because it has no RAM, so it’s not affected by high RAM prices, unlike the Steam Machine. That’s why Valve launched the Steam Controller early. The ongoing memory and NAND crisis not only increased Valve’s internal pricing but may also lead to delays if the situation doesn’t improve.
As for the Steam Controller, Steve Cardinali mentioned that Valve is ready for sales, but he also hinted that overwhelmingly high demand may affect availability.
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Edited by Niladri Roy
