UPDATE: 2026/03/08 21:53 EST BY SIMON BATT

Valve clarifies that it wants to aim for a 2026 release still

In a statement to The Verge, Valve clarifies that "nothing has actually changed on our end," and the original blog post removes the mention of 2026 and replaces it with "we will be shipping all three products this year." So, keep an eye on Valve's newest wave of hardware coming out later in 2026. Thank goodness!

The original article now follows.

Summary

  • Valve shifts Steam Machine/Frame/Controller from a firm 1H2026 launch to a hopeful "ship in 2026".
  • RAM and storage shortages—RAM prices tripled—have driven component scarcity, delays, and higher costs.
  • I'm okay with Valve delaying if it prevents launching overpriced or compromised hardware.

2026 has been bad news for fans of Valve's devices. After the big RAM and storage shortages that began in late 2025, console and hardware manufacturers worldwide have been raising prices and delaying releases in response. Valve was no different, as we saw a shortage in Steam Decks and a delay in the release of the Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and Steam Controller.

While Valve's new hardware was originally scheduled to release in the first half of 2026, the new hardware climate had previously pushed the company to target the second half instead. And now, the company has tweaked the release window again, moving from a definite 2026 release to a hopeful one.

The Steam Machine's 2026 release window shifts from a goal to an optimistic projection

And it's easy to see why

Credit: Valve

Over on the Steam website, Valve posted a blog post titled "Steam Year In Review 2025" for developers. In it, the company breaks down what it achieved in 2025 and what it wants to do in the coming year. As you might imagine, in a blog post for developers, Valve wanted to clear up what's happening with the Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and the new Steam Controller, since people are likely itching to develop games for the hardware.

Valve is not afraid to discuss each device, explaining why it's big and how developers can use it. However, right before the company launches into explaining its hardware range, it says this:

Here’s the lineup of hardware we announced in 2025. We hope to ship in 2026, but as we shared recently, memory and storage shortages have created challenges for us. We’ll share updates publicly when we finalize our plans!

Note that the company specifically says it hopes to ship by 2026. This is quite a far cry from the original plan, which was to get all the hardware out the door in the first half of 2026. In fact, in the delay post Valve links in the quote about, it explicitly states that "Our goal of shipping all three products in the first half of the year has not changed." However, it seems that, after a month, the company is beginning to feel that 2026 may not be feasible, let alone pre-July.

While it's really easy to point fingers at Valve and blame it for being optimistic, the truth is that the hardware market has been really tough lately. Prices for RAM have tripled in the space of a few months, and it has thrown a huge wrench into Valve's plans to launch all three devices together. Honestly, if Valve needs to take the time to ensure that these devices aren't dead on arrival due to astronomical pricing, then I'm all for it.