A new report claims that Valve might have to make a cheaper version of the Steam Machine. According to an insider, skyrocketing RAM prices might force them to make a second edition of the gaming PC device. Could the Steam Machine price really be that bad?
Steam Machine Needs a Cheaper Model, Insider Says
As we reported in November, we are currently going through a worldwide RAM shortage due to AI companies. However, according to tech expert Moore’s Law Is Dead, the hardware crisis might not only impact the Steam Machine price, but it could force Valve into making a second edition of the console. In his latest report, Moore’s Law argues that Valve could release a Steam Machine at $400 that is profitable, but it would require them to drop the system’s RAM and Steam Controller.
“I think Valve needs to do this. My assumption is that they have already bought RAM and SSDs for the Steam Machine. But I find it unlikely that they have bought everything they’ll need for the next five years to support the console. So if I was Valve, I would have a $400 bare bones no-controller model. I would do no Steam Controller with a 512GB model as well.” The hardware expert then said Valve should release a $600 to $650 premium version of the Steam Machine that has RAM, SSD, and the Steam Controller.
The tech enthusiast’s argument is that multiple Steam Machine price editions would allow Valve to keep the console in stock while waiting for more RAM supplies. “The barebones edition would exist to ensure something is always in stock at a reasonable price. And then the other variants can opportunistically come in stock whenever Valve secures RAM at a fair price.” Moore’s Law Is Dead cautioned that Valve might not be able to buy new RAM in 2026 due to the current AI bubble.
Steam Machine Specs Broken Down by Price
If a second Steam Machine model was released, Moore’s Law Is Dead said it would still net Valve a 30 to 40% profit margin. However, he also listed out the console’s currently known specs by price point to show how the cheaper model would work.
Steam Machine Specs (Component Pricing):
- AMD APU / CPU + GPU: $184
- Connectivity: $13
- Battery/Power System: $20
- Cooling System: $20
- Shell/Case: $25
- Input Devices/Controller: $35
- PCB: $40
- Packaging: $10
What would be missing from this edition is the system RAM at $48, and the storage NVMe SSD at $30. So essentially the Steam Machine would cost Valve roughly $347 to manufacture. Players who then pick up this cheaper edition would have to add their own RAM or SSD to the device.
Steam Machine Availability Could Be Really Dire in 2026
At this point, a lot of this is speculation. It’s impossible to know how far in advance Valve planned for the Steam Machine. If the company had stockpiled RAM and SSDs before the worldwide shortage, then the Steam Machine price and availability won’t be impacted. If Valve only bought enough components for the console’s launch, then consumers may be in for a rough time.
The doomsday scenario is Valve sells out of the Steam Machine almost instantly, and then the console is out of stock for an entire year or more. Because RAM would be impossible to buy at a reasonable price, the new Valve console would also basically be impossible to purchase in 2026. How dire could this get? Moore’s Law Is Dead suggests that Valve should maybe encourage Steam users to re-purpose old computer parts to power the new console. I’m not kidding.
“Valve can tell players ‘go dig up your old laptop’. Pull out that RAM, pull out that old SSD. That old HP laptop that you have laying in your closet right now, get out a screwdriver. Go get the SSD out of it. If you have an old mini PC, or might have an 8 or 16GB DDR stick in it, go grab it! Valve could incentivize users to repurpose old PC parts they might have in older gear.”
If you want to know how truly bad the situation could be, retailers have recently claimed they won’t get DDR5 memory in stock until 2026. During Black Friday, a 64GB DDR5 stick sold for $750. And finally, consumers are going to lose access to an additional 33% of all RAM in 2026 after Micron announced Crucial Memory is exiting the market to sell directly to AI companies exclusively. So yeah, this all sounds pretty dire.
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