The ongoing RAMaggedon, fueled in large part by AI hyperscalers and data centers, has caused PC parts and memory components to become more expensive and harder to find. Valve isn’t immune to this reality. But its upcoming Steam Controller isn’t affected by any of this, and that’s why it’s launching before the Steam Machine.
When I asked Valve about whether the ongoing RAM shortage had affected its plans for the controller during a recent interview, designer Lawrence Yang said its new gamepad was safe.
“Specific to the Steam Controller, thankfully, no,” answered Yang. “Thankfully, there’s no RAM or storage inside of it.”
Yang also wanted to make it clear that Valve never delayed or planned to delay the Steam Controller.
“We saw on the internet, people were like, ‘Oh, they’re delaying Steam Controller so that it can ship with [Steam Machine and Steam Frame],” said Yang.
“That’s actually not the case. We’re actually shipping it now because it’s ready now. It just took this long to get the hardware, the firmware, and the software all in the right place and make enough of them so we have a good quantity in the warehouses for launch day.”
The RAM shortage is changing Valve’s plans
Yang did confirm that Valve’s other hardware plans have been “definitely impacted” by the RAM shortages and price increases.
“As we’ve said before, RAM and memory prices are a real challenge and a real bummer that the whole industry is dealing with. So we’re just like everyone else. We’re trying to figure out how to navigate it, and it’s impacting our plans, but we’re doing our best.”
Back in November of last year, Valve announced three new pieces of hardware: The Steam Machine, the Steam Frame VR headset, and the Steam Controller. The plan, at the time at least, was to start shipping these devices in “early 2026.”
In February, Valve announced it was reevaluating price and launch dates for the Steam Machine and Steam Frame. It sounds committed to still launching all hardware in 2026, starting with the Steam Controller. But during a GDC panel earlier this year, Valve joked with those in attendance that, if they had any RAM to sell, the company was in the market to buy some.