Summary
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Valve wants to put Steam Decks back on sale, but availability remains limited due to supply issues.
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RAM shortages and shipping disruptions are major replenishment bottlenecks.
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Valve is diversifying its suppliers to avoid single-source risk, but is not giving an ETA for the return.
If you’ve tried to purchase a Steam Deck recently, you may have noticed that it’s very difficult to purchase one from Valve if you live in specific regions. Right now, the popular portable gaming device is experiencing a serious shortage problem due to RAM prices, shipping issues, and people opting for devices over PCs as the latter’s prices skyrocket.
Well, it’s been a few months since Valve first reported stock issues with the Steam Deck, and things still look dire. The good news is that a recent interview revealed that Valve really wants to put them back on sale. The bad news is that the memory crisis is still very much with us and there’s not much Valve can realistically do about it.
Valve confirms Steam Deck OLED shortage, pointing finger at RAM crisis
As expected, unfortunately.
Valve wants its Steam Decks back, but that’s easier said than done
RAM Isn’t Getting That Much Cheaper, After All
In an interview with IGN, the publication spoke with Valve’s Pierre-Loup Griffais and Steve Cardinali to discuss the new Steam Controller Pricing. However, midway through the interview, IGN asked both players what was happening with the Steam Deck and when we might expect them to return to specific markets.
Pierre-Loup Griffais responded by saying that while they would like to bring the Steam Deck back to market, it remains a significant challenge:
Yes, we don’t really have any specific details to share on this, but it’s something we’re working hard on. And as you know, there are a lot of considerations right now when it comes to shipping difficulty, as well as lack of memory and all that.
So we’ve been trying to fix this because we’re very aware that there are people who want to get Steam Deck and aren’t able to get it currently. It’s currently available in some regions, but in general it’s something we’re working very hard on.
Griffais goes on to say that Valve has always been hesitant to plan its consoles around supply from a single company, because any disruption would bring the device production line to a grinding halt. As such, because it is more open to working with multiple vendors, Valve can weather the RAM crisis more easily than if it had hedged all its bets on a single vendor.
While we don’t have an ETA on when the Steam Deck will return to the market, it’s good to hear that Valve hasn’t given up. Unfortunately, since the world of AI shows no signs of stopping anytime soon, we might be stuck in RAM limbo for quite a while now.
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The company says it’s “still working hard” on the handheld.