Valve has sadly confirmed that it has delayed plans pertaining to the upcoming Steam Machine.
While the console is reportedly still on track to land in the first half of the year, the decision has been made to withhold confirming its pricing or exact release details.
As suspected, this is all due to worldwide RAM shortages.
RAM, or Random Access Memory, essentially stores software information short-term until it's required by a processor, so it’s a necessary component for running software.
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“When we announced these products in November, we planned on being able to share specific pricing and launch dates by now,” Valve began.
“But the memory and storage shortages you've likely heard about across the industry have rapidly increased since then.
“The limited availability and growing prices of these critical components mean we must revisit our exact shipping schedule and pricing (especially around Steam Machine and Steam Frame).
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The company went on to confirm that its “goal of shipping all three products in the first half of the year” hadn’t changed, but added it had “work to do to land on concrete pricing and launch dates that we can confidently announce”.
Valve explained that it was “mindful of how quickly the circumstances around both of those things can change”.
In the meantime, Valve has promised to offer additional information on the console in the near future as a way to tide potential buyers over.
RAM Shortages Are Wreaking Havoc, And It’s All Down to AI
If you’re not already familiar, worldwide RAM shortages can directly be linked to the rise in demand for AI.
I’ve never hid my strong distaste for AI.
Every time you ask an AI chatbot a simple question or ask it to generate a terrible video of a cat playing the trombone, it requires major server power.
As such, more and more AI data centres are being built to keep up with demand. And do you know what those data centres require? Yes, a ton of RAM.
It’s for this reason that RAM shortages have broken out, sending prices skyrocketing.
That pushes Valve into a difficult corner. It could launch the Steam Machine sooner rather than later, but it may have to increase pricing given what I’ve just said.
The alternative is it delays the console’s launch to see if pricing stabilises.
The jury is still out on whether the Steam Machine could be a success.
It’s difficult to say whether we’re looking at the next major hardware hit or a colossal flop.
The Steam Machine may look like a console, but it isn’t really a PlayStation or Xbox rival; it’s an alternative to a PC which places it in a more unique position.
The Steam Machine Will Include Several Upgradable Parts
Alongside announcing the delay of the details around its launch, Valve did drop a few tidbits on the new hardware.
“In our testing, the majority of Steam titles play great at 4K 60fps with FSR on Steam Machine,” it began.
“That said, there are some titles that currently require more upscaling than others, and it may be preferable to play at a lower framerate with VRR to maintain a 1080p internal resolution.
“In the meantime, we are working on HDMI VRR, investigating improved upscaling, and optimising ray tracing performance in the driver, so we are approaching this from multiple angles.”
Valve went on to confirm that the machine’s SSD and memory are both accessible to users and therefore upgradable, plus it’ll be sharing faceplate specs with third-party accessories suppliers.
We’ll continue to keep you updated as this interesting bit of kit slowly shuffles its way towards launch.
Topics: Steam, Steam Machine, PC, Tech, Valve