May 29, 2026, 10:34 am | Read time: 2 minutes
Valve is bringing the Steam Deck back to the market. After a long delivery pause, the gaming handheld is available for order again. However, many fans may find their excitement dampened. The mobile gaming device now costs significantly more than it did two years ago. The ongoing shortage of key memory components is primarily responsible for this.
Why the Steam Deck Was Missing for So Long
The delivery stop for the Steam Deck had a clear reason. Central hardware components were and are missing worldwide. RAM for running programs and device storage for games and data were particularly scarce. Without these components, Valve couldn’t produce enough units. The situation has somewhat eased, and the Steam Deck is back in stock, albeit at new prices.
Significantly More Expensive Despite Unchanged Hardware
The 512-gigabyte version now costs 779 euros. Valve is asking 919 euros for 1 terabyte of storage. For comparison, the launch prices were 569 and 679 euros. Depending on the model, the price increase is about one-third. Technically, everything remains the same. Buyers receive the same Steam Deck OLED as in 2023. Nevertheless, prices are rising sharply.
New Console Challenges PlayStation
The Most Expensive Xbox Ever Is a Handheld Console
AI Boom Intensifies the Memory Crisis
Valve points to increased production costs and challenging global supply chains. A crucial factor is also the boom in artificial intelligence. AI systems require enormous amounts of fast memory, both RAM and graphics memory. As a result, tech companies and consumers are competing for the same components, driving hardware prices up overall.
What This Means for the Steam Machine
The development is intriguing with regard to the announced Steam Machine. It is expected to be significantly more powerful than the Steam Deck. Confirmed features include modern DDR5 RAM, very fast NVMe SSDs, and GDDR6 graphics memory. These components are currently among the most expensive and sought-after on the market. Therefore, a low entry price is rather unlikely. For gamers, this likely means more performance but also higher costs.