The Great Ramaggedon Of 2026 Might Have Just Claimed The Steam Deck

Less than a week aft Valve admitted that nan current shortage (and growing prices) of RAM were affecting its hardware plans, nan Steam Deck is wholly sold out. The Steam Deck has gone successful and retired of banal successful nan past, but as Kotaku notes, nan timing does raise nan mobility whether Valve's RAM issues could besides beryllium impacting its Linux handheld.

The 256GB Steam Deck LCD, and some nan 512GB and 1TB models of nan Steam Deck OLED, are wholly sold retired connected Steam. Valve announced that it was discontinuing nan LCD versions of its handheld and trading done its remaining inventory successful December 2025, truthful nan truth that nan 256GB Steam Deck exemplary is presently sold retired isn't surprising. That some OLED versions are besides unavailable astatine nan aforesaid time, though, is simply a spot much unusual.

Engadget has contacted Valve for much accusation astir nan readiness of nan Steam Deck. We'll update this article if we perceive back.

When Valve announced nan Steam Machine, Steam Controller and Steam Frame, nan institution notably near pricing and readiness disconnected nan table, presumably because tariffs and entree to RAM were leaving those specifications successful flux. The company's announcement past week that nan representation and retention shortage had pushed backmost its plans and would apt effect prices much aliases little confirmed that. At nary constituent did Valve mention that nan Steam Deck would beryllium likewise affected, but possibly it should have.

The rising costs of RAM has already forced different PC makers to set nan pricing of their computers. Framework announced successful January that it was raising nan value of its Framework Desktop by arsenic overmuch arsenic $460. Some analysts presume that nan representation shortage driven by nan AI manufacture could lead to higher prices and moreover an economical downturn successful nan wider PC industry. Ideally, nan Steam Deck being retired of banal is simply a impermanent rumor alternatively than a motion that Valve is doing thing drastic. If things proceed arsenic they are, however, changes to nan Steam Deck apt won't beryllium disconnected nan table.