Steam Deck hardware prices are rising as RAMageddon continues to impact gaming consoles

The effects of the global shortage of computer memory are called Ramageddon Continued as Valve increased its price Steam surface On that Website Wednesday. the Mobile games device it Launched in 2022 For $400 it would now cost nearly $800 to buy new.

Valve’s new Steam Deck starts at $790 OLED version with a capacity of 512 GBwhich represents a jump of more than $200 from its launch price of $550 in 2023, as first spotted by X Wario64 sticker. The 1TB Steam Deck OLED took an even bigger jump in price, going from $650 to $950.

Valve did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the price increase.

The price of steam is rising

This price jump, while surprising, should come as no surprise to those keeping an eye on Steam hardware (or anything with RAM and storage). Back in February, Valve said it was delaying its release The home computer console, the Steam Machine, and its own virtual reality hardware, the Steam Framelater this year. They both were It was revealed last NovemberHowever, the company said pricing was a concern due to market conditions that caused high demand for critical hardware components.

Valve hasn’t provided any pricing for it Steam frame and Steam machine In the reveal or delay announcements, but it has been speculated that both should be in the $600-700 range each. It is now clear that these estimates are not possible, given the components of the Steam Deck, which has undergone few updates since its debut in 2022.

The Steam Deck has also been an item that Valve owns Difficulty maintaining inventory. For the first half of 2026, those interested had difficulty finding a new device, likely due to issues with memory and driver shortages.

Gaming has now become a luxury pastime

Valve isn’t the only gaming console company suffering from memory shortages. Nintendo said last month that it would do so Switch 2 price increased in September by $50 to $500. The company has helped cushion the blow of rising prices by offering a New package includes a free game. Last year, Nintendo also increased the price of its hardware Original Switch consoleBut that was primarily because Tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. Nintendo ever since She sued the US government over the tariffsand Nintendo customers have filed a class action lawsuit against the company To get refunds for what they paid due to tariffs.

Those definitions were also heart Two prices He increases To the Xbox Series console lineup that happened last year.

Sony also increased the price of its PS5 console in March PS5 Pro jumps to $900. This is the first time in gaming history that console prices have skyrocketed years after launch, and there’s no sign of this trend slowing down.