A new report might spell dire news for Steam users and PC gaming in 2026. According to insiders, hardware components might not only get even more expensive next year, but they might be nearly impossible for consumers to obtain. Could this also mean bad news for the Steam Machine Price?
Steam Users Could Face Major Challenges Getting PC Components in 2026
PC gaming just can’t catch a break lately, it seems. As we reported a few weeks back, the price of RAM has completely exploded due to a worldwide shortage caused by AI companies. During Black Friday sales, 64GB of DDR5 memory was going for as high as $750, which is more than a PS5 Pro. However, based on a new report, things could get a lot worse for many Steam users and PC enthusiasts.
On December 3, Micron, the owner of Crucial memory, announced they are exiting the consumer market. “Today, Micron shared some news that comes with a heavy heart: we’ve made the difficult decision to wind down the Crucial consumer business. This means that sales of Crucial-branded products through retailers, e-tailers, and distributors worldwide will gradually come to an end.”
This is a big deal, as they were one of the three main suppliers of RAM for PC gaming enthusiasts. Veteran gaming journalist Arthur Gies reacted to the news on BlueSky and warned it could spell bigger trouble for PC gaming. “Micron is moving from a mixed B2B/consumer strategy to an entirely B2B business for AI datacenters. This will be a big supply shock for consumer PC hardware.”
Circana’s Matt Piscatella also weighed in on the shocking announcement on BlueSky, writing, “Yeaaaaaah guess all those folks who’ve always complained that new consoles release too soon may end up getting what they’ve asked for. And hope PC folks really like their current rigs. Who knows.”
Why This Is Bad News for Steam Users and PC Gamers
It goes without saying, but with Steam being the largest platform for PC gaming, this latest update could have a massive impact on many users. It could particularly have a major impact on the Steam Machine price, if for example Valve failed buy up RAM before the recent bubble. However, the biggest issue is it might further extend the worldwide RAM shortage crisis even longer.
This means price and demand for the important PC hardware component could remain ridiculously high for the foreseeable future. But it could get even worse. With Micron ending their business-to-consumer model, it means that 33% of the RAM sold to retailers and stores will no longer be available. Considering we are already in a worldwide shortage, supplies could become even harder to come by.
For context, Tech Insider Moore’s Law Is Dead has previously reported that some retailers won’t get RAM in stock again until December 2026. This was before Micron announced it was getting out of the consumer market. So for many Steam users, it might be straight-up impossible to get certain PC components in 2026.
AI Demand Is Partially to Blame, Reports Claim
As if you didn’t already hate artificial intelligence enough, some reports claim Micron’s decision to stop selling to consumers is because of the emerging tech. Specifically, the company is moving to a business-to-business sales model, to sell directly to AI servers and companies exclusively.
Yeah, maybe all the apocalyptic fear over AI wasn’t exaggerated after all. Only time will tell if the worldwide RAM Shortage also delays the launch of the PS6 or the Next-Gen Xbox Series. After all it’s not just PC gaming rigs that rely on these components.
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