Looks like the Steam Machine is going to be a little more expensive than expected due to what Valve calls a "rapidly" increasing shortage of storage and memory.
In a new update on the Steam Hardware lineup that was announced in November, Valve says it initially planned to reveal pricing and release timing details by now, but the ongoing and unprecedented memory chip shortage – made worse by a surge in demand from AI data centers, according to the International Data Corporation – threw a wrench in those plans.
"The memory and storage shortages you've likely heard about across the industry have rapidly increased since [the announcement]," Valve says. "The limited availability and growing prices of these critical components mean we must revisit our exact shipping schedule and pricing." Valve notes that this pertains "especially" to the Steam Machine and Steam Frame, Valve's new VR headset.
"Our goal of shipping all three products in the first half of the year has not changed," Valve clarifies. "But we have work to do to land on concrete pricing and launch dates that we can confidently announce, being mindful of how quickly the circumstances around both of those things can change."
While we wait on that crucial information, Valve published a Q&A with answers to the community's most burning questions, like "Can Steam Frame be used while wearing glasses?" (Probably, but it depends on how thick your glasses are.)
The Q&A also revealed that the Steam Machine will let you upgrade its RAM as well as its SSD, which is something traditional consoles don't let you do. So, it might be outrageously expensive and it might launch later than planned, but at least you'll be able to stuff a little extra RAM in that bad boy.
