The wait for the successor to the Steam Deck may be much longer than expected, frustrating those seeking an immediate upgrade in this year of 2026. According to leaker KeplerL2, Valve is working with an internal launch window for 2028, but this plan faces serious risks. The main villain of the story is the global shortage of RAM and NAND chips, a phenomenon caused by the explosion of artificial intelligence technologies.
This crisis, nicknamed by the industry as the “RAMpocalypse”, occurs because semiconductor manufacturers are prioritizing supply for AI data centers, which pay much higher prices for the 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, scheduled for the end of April 2026, precisely because of 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 benefit. KeplerL2 suggests that, unlike the PS6 and the next Xbox, Valve does not use a fixed semi-custom chip. Therefore, if the launch is pushed forward, the company will have the freedom to include much more powerful technical specifications than originally planned, taking advantage of processing technologies that have not even hit the market yet.
However, the overall scenario is a warning for the Brazilian consumer’s wallet. With AI demand sucking up global production, experts from the SK Group warn that the chip shortage could last until 2030. This situation forces developers to focus on extreme optimization, as the public will have more difficulty upgrading hardware in the coming years. Thus, the original Steam Deck is likely to remain Valve’s flagship for a long time, while the company monitors the artificial intelligence bubble.
