Ongoing RAM shortages are continuing to scupper Valve’s hardware plans, with the upcoming Steam Machine bearing the worst brunt.
It’s full, uh, steam ahead for Valve’s new Steam Controller which is confirmed to be launching on 4 May.
This nifty piece of hardware will retail for $99 / £85.
It may not be cheap but the innovative controller does introduce dual touch-sensitive trackpads as well as the traditional thumbsticks, diversifying how gamers can play.
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On top of that, the thumbsticks make use of magnetic TMR technology which’ll reduce stick drift, plus there are four mappable back buttons as well as HD Rumble and Gyro Aim technologies.
The reason why Valve has been able to go ahead with launching the Steam Controller is that it doesn’t require RAM.
The same can’t be said for the Steam Machine or the Steam Frame.
Earlier this year, Valve hinted at the fact that both pieces of hardware had been delayed as the company assessed the impact of RAM shortages on pricing.
It’s a shame to think that without RAM shortages, the Steam Machine could possibly have already been in the hands of gamers by now as it appears to be ready to ship.
AI is largely behind these shortages.
When you speak to an AI chatbot like ChatGPT, somewhere in the world, there’s a hefty room of servers processing your request - using tons of water in the process, I’ll add, to cool said machines.
More and more of these AI datacentres are being erected, hence the shortages; that’s sent the cost of RAM, Random Access Memory, flying.
One Insider Claims That The Steam Machine Is “Affected The Most” For Valve
Computers and video game consoles require RAM in order to process software information.
Brad Lynch, a Valve ‘insider’ with a decent track record, has now taken to Twitter/X to provide more insight on just how badly the Steam Machine may have been affected.
“Valve confirmed to Polygon that they are releasing the Steam Controller earlier due to RAM sourcing issues for their other products,” he began.
“I’ve been told some Valve Internal pricing targets they had before AND after RAM skyrocketed.
“Machine is affected the most. Frame is not as bad,” he finished.
We do need to take Lynch’s testimony with a pinch of salt until official confirmation arrives.
As I said, however, he has a decent track record and the Steam Machine being badly affected by the shortages only confirms what many suspected in the first place.
As for the reference to Polygon, Valve hardware engineer Steve Cardinali told the site that the Steam Controller “doesn’t have RAM in it, and it’s not as complicated to start getting out the door”.
There were already fears that the Steam Machine would be a pricey offering but it’s clearly going to be much more expensive than originally planned.
While we still don’t have an exact figure, it’s perhaps a given that we’re looking at top-end triple-figures minimum.
As such, anyone itching to get their hands on this bit of kit come launch day best start saving now.
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