Gamers excited about the release of Steam’s latest pieces of hardware, the Steam Machine and Steam Frame, have gotten some bad news as the hardware originally slated for a release in the first quarter of 2026 has instead been updated to a release in the first half of the year. The news comes in a release from Valve, which discussed the delay and the reasons why gamers will have to wait just a bit longer if they want to buy the devices, or even know how much they cost.
What Are The Steam Machine, Steam Frame, And Steam Controller?
The trio of hardware pieces is the latest release from the industry’s leading marketplace. The most notable pieces are the Steam Frame, which is a virtual reality device, and the Steam Machine, which looks to replicate the success of the Steam Deck’s use as a portable console in the form of a standard home gaming console.
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The hardware is aimed at creating an avenue for PC gamers to get into the more-expensive side of the hobby, or to get a machine capable of playing modern resource-intensive games, in a more accessible way than current market options. Unfortunately, with the news, it means that we will now need to wait additional months to see how well the Steam Machine and Steam Frame deliver on these promises.
Why Are They Delayed And What Does It Mean For Gamers
In short, the AI boom. If you’ve spent any time around any piece of technology over the last couple of years, you’ve no doubt been inundated with AI, from search summaries to friends making profile pictures to other far more unsavory uses. All of this AI requires a whole lot of processing power, and that means that the demand for components related to computer memory is currently astronomically high.
This has led to a big spike in the cost of these components, and forecasting for the current spike is challenging, meaning it’s difficult for those who need them to confidently predict what the costs will be in the short, medium, or long term. It has previously been announced that the plans did not call for the Steam Machine to serve as a loss leader, selling for less than it costs to produce to pay off with sales of games and apps, so it is even more susceptible to changing prices.
Steam has assured gamers that the plan is not to have the launches delayed further into the second half of the year; they are holding off on announcing hard dates or expected price points. This keeps Steam’s options open, with fans hopefully given some clearer news in the weeks ahead.
Published: Feb 5, 2026 11:30 am