Valve's Steam Deck is out of stock and it's sparking worries of a memory crisis shortage

Valve's Steam Deck is widely considered one of the best handheld gaming PCs on the market, with the SteamOS interface and rock-solid user experience that make it feel more like a console than a desktop PC. With the Steam Deck currently sold via the Steam platform in countries like the US and Australia and through partners like Komodo in Asia, late last week, gamers began to notice an 'Out of stock' message in several regions where the handheld is sold.

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The 'Out of stock' can be seen on the Steam Deck's official store page in the U.S., covering all three available models: the Steam Deck 256GB LCD, the Steam Deck 512GB OLED, and the Steam Deck 1TB OLED. With all three models unavailable for purchase, the only option for prospective buyers is to add the handheld to their wishlist.

However, since Valve no longer produces the 256GB LCD model of the Steam Deck, only the two OLED models are expected to be sold once stock becomes available. And on that note, there's no indication of when this might be, which is causing many to wonder if the Steam Deck is the latest bit of PC gaming hardware to be affected by the memory crisis brought on by the AI boom.

And there's a valid reason for this. Valve has already stated that the unforeseen and exponential increase in component pricing has delayed its upcoming Steam Machine gaming PC launch, with many analysts now predicting a first-half 2026 launch at a significantly higher price than originally planned. So, many have begun wondering whether the memory crisis is now affecting Steam Deck availability - and whether or not a price increase is coming.

As Valve's hardware division is relatively small compared to companies like ASUS and Lenovo, there's a definite cause for concern about sourcing components for a handheld like the Steam Deck at reasonable volume and price. Steam Deck handhelds, even in OLED form, are competitively priced at $549 and $649, especially when compared to direct competitors like the ROG Xbox Ally X from ASUS and the Legion Go 2 from Lenovo.

Valve hasn't provided a comment on the Steam Deck's current shortage, so hopefully it's a minor production blip as opposed to another example of 2026 shaping up to be a difficult year for PC gaming hardware. On the plus side, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan distributor Komodo has apparently told customers that stock is expected to return sometime in February, so fingers crossed.