RAM shortage hits Valve's four-year-old Steam Deck, now available 'intermittently'

Source: Ars Technica

Background

Earlier this month, Valve announced that it was delaying the release of its new Steam Machine desktop and Steam Frame VR headset due to memory and storage shortages that have been cascading across the PC industry since late 2025. Those shortages are now affecting products that have already launched.

Current Stock Situation

Valve added a note to its Steam Deck page noting that the device would be “out‑of‑stock intermittently in some regions due to memory and storage shortages.” None of Valve’s three listed Steam Deck configurations are currently available to buy, nor are any of the certified refurbished Steam Deck configurations that Valve sometimes offers.

Pricing and Discontinuation

Valve hasn’t announced any price increases for the Deck, at least not yet—the 512 GB OLED model is still listed at $549 and the 1 TB version at $649. However, the basic 256 GB LCD model has been formally discontinued now that it has sold out, raising the Deck’s de facto starting price from $399 to $549. Valve announced in December that it was ending production on the LCD version of the Deck and that it would not be restocked once sold out.

Hardware Overview

The Steam Deck’s hardware is four years old this month, and faster hardware with better chips and higher‑resolution screens have been released in the years since. The newer Ryzen Z1 and Z2 chips aren’t always dramatically faster than the Deck’s semi‑custom AMD chip, and many of those handhelds are considerably more expensive than the OLED Deck’s $549 starting price. When it’s in stock, the Deck still offers compelling performance and specs for the price.