Valve engineer warns component costs may drive up prices of Steam Machine and other consoles
A Valve engineer said memory and storage component prices remain high, suggesting future price hikes for the Steam Machine and possibly other gaming hardware.
Valve has faced higher than expected costs for its Steam Machine, which now retails at a minimum of £879 ($1,049), above the company’s original target price. Engineer Yazan Aldehayyat told Bloomberg that component prices continue to rise, noting a lag of three to six months between retail shelf availability and bulk supply levels. > "Honestly, it's still getting worse," he said, indicating that the ongoing memory and storage shortage could lead to further price increases. The situation mirrors statements from Microsoft, which announced a price increase for the Xbox Series X/S line-up effective 1 August and warned that component costs could double by autumn 2027. Similar price adjustments have been reported for Sony’s PlayStation 5 and Nintendo’s upcoming Switch model. Industry observers say the sustained shortage of RAM and storage, driven by demand from AI data centers, may keep consumer electronics prices elevated.