Memory shortage hits Steam Deck production: Valve warns of disruptions

The global semiconductor crisis, triggered by the surge in demand for AI components, has reached the gaming industry. Valve has officially announced potential supply disruptions for the Steam Deck OLED portable console in several regions. The company cites a severe shortage of RAM and solid-state drives as the cause, which has already driven up prices for finished products and is now threatening the availability of the devices.

The official product page has a warning that the Steam Deck OLED may periodically disappear from store shelves. The situation is further complicated by the fact that the budget version of the Steam Deck LCD with a 256 GB drive has been discontinued. Once the current inventory of this model is completely sold out, it will no longer be available for purchase. This means potential buyers are losing the most affordable entry point into Valve's portable PC ecosystem.

The component issues have affected not only the current product line but also future developments. Earlier, it was announced that the release dates and prices of the new devices, the Steam Machine and Steam Frame, had been revised. The official reason given was the need to adapt to the sudden changes in the market, which entails a complete recalculation of production costs amid unstable prices for RAM and other key components.