TECH NEWS – As mentioned in today’s news, plans for the PlayStation 6 are unlikely to change. However, Valve‘s device will take a more price-sensitive approach.

The new hardware lineup unveiled by Valve in 2025—the new Steam Controller, Steam Frame VR Headset, and Steam Machine—made a very good first impression. The Steam Machine looked sleek, simple, and capable. It is a significant improvement over Valve‘s earlier Steam Machines and will finally bring PC gaming into the mainstream. Only two big questions remain: How much will it cost, and when will it be released? These questions are complicated by the RAMocalypse that followed AI, which caused shortages and sharp price increases in memory, SSDs, and graphics cards.

The situation is chaotic, and the resulting uncertainty could mean we’ll have to wait longer than expected for the new hardware. In early February, Valve said all three products were expected to launch in the first half of the year. Now, even that seems uncertain. In its 2025 report, Valve wrote that it plans to release the devices in 2026. However, as the company recently announced, memory and storage shortages are posing challenges, and updates will be announced when plans are finalized. Since then, the shortage of memory and storage has grown rapidly in the industry. Due to the limited availability and rising prices of these critical components, the company must review its delivery schedule and prices, especially for the Steam Machine and Steam Frame.

The plan to launch in the first half of 2026 remained unchanged at that time. However, Valve added that they still had work to do before they could confidently announce specific prices and release dates, given how quickly circumstances can change. Even if Valve can obtain the necessary components to manufacture the Steam Machine in sufficient quantities to meet demand, cost remains a real problem. The Steam Machine will cost more than consoles because, unlike Sony and Microsoft with the PlayStation and Xbox, Valve has stated that it will not subsidize the price. However, it will need to be in the same price range if it is to achieve widespread adoption (we wrote about this earlier).

It now seems that a release date of 2027 is indeed a possibility.

Source: PCGamer, Valve