Steam Week in Review: Once positioned as mainstream-friendly PC gaming solutions, can Valve’s hardware survive the memory crisis?
PC Gamer examines whether Valve’s Steam hardware can remain an accessible route into PC gaming as the continuing memory shortage raises component costs. The article argues that the situation particularly threatens the Steam Machine’s appeal as a comparatively affordable, mainstream-friendly PC, despite renewed interest in Valve hardware.
Valve has acknowledged that memory prices are still rising and that it sees no near-term end to the shortage. The discussion also considers the Steam Deck and Steam Frame, but focuses on how higher RAM costs, the Steam Machine’s eventual pricing and Valve’s unusual purchase system could limit their wider reach.
- Rising memory costs threaten Valve hardware’s affordability.
- Valve expects the memory shortage to worsen.
- Steam Machine pricing may undermine its mainstream appeal.
New here? Start with this
Steam is Valve's PC gaming platform, and the company has moved beyond selling software to making its own hardware, including the handheld Steam Deck, the newly announced Steam Machine console, and the Steam Frame VR-style headset. These devices have generally been sold as a relatively cheap, easy way into PC gaming, competing with pricier custom-built computers and consoles from rivals such as Sony and Microsoft.
A global shortage of computer memory chips has been pushing up the cost of RAM, a key component in almost all modern computing devices. Because manufacturers like Valve often buy components and set prices well in advance of a product reaching shops, sudden rises in memory costs can squeeze profit margins or force prices upward, potentially eating into the affordability that has been central to these products' appeal.
Valve itself has said publicly that memory prices are continuing to climb and that it does not expect the shortage to ease soon. This matters because it raises questions about whether upcoming hardware, particularly the Steam Machine, can still be positioned as an accessible, mainstream option once it reaches customers, rather than becoming a more expensive, niche product.