The wait for the Steam Deck successor could be much longer than expected, frustrating those who were looking for an immediate upgrade in this year 2026. According to leaker KeplerL2, Valve is working with an internal release window for 2028, but this plan faces serious risks. The big villain of the story is the global shortage of RAM memory and NAND chips, a phenomenon caused by the explosion of artificial intelligence technologies.
This crisis, dubbed by the industry as “RAMpocalypse,” occurs because semiconductor manufacturers prioritize supply for AI data centers, which pay much higher prices for components. As a result, the consumer hardware market suffers from high prices and production delays. Furthermore, Valve has not yet set the price for its new Steam Machine, planned for late April 2026, precisely due to this financial instability.
The impact of the RAMpocalypse on Valve's plans
Although the delay seems like bad news, it could bring an unexpected technical advantage. KeplerL2 suggests that, unlike the PS6 and the next Xbox, Valve does not use a fixed semi-custom chip. Therefore, if the release is pushed back, the company will have the freedom to include much more powerful technical specifications than initially planned, taking advantage of processing technologies that haven't even hit the market yet.
However, the overall scenario is alarming for Brazilian consumers. With AI demand sucking up global production, experts from SK Group warn that the chip shortage could last until 2030. This situation forces developers to focus on extreme optimization, since the public will have more difficulty upgrading hardware in the coming years. Thus, the original Steam Deck should remain Valve's flagship product for a while, as the company keeps an eye on the artificial intelligence bubble.