Valve blames current Steam Deck shortages on global memory crisis

Last week, several Steam users began to notice that Valve's Steam Deck was 'out of stock' in several regions. Covering all three models, the Steam Deck 256GB LCD, the Steam Deck 512GB OLED, and the Steam Deck 1TB OLED, many began to wonder if the shortages were due to the current memory and storage crisis causing chaos in the consumer market.

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The unprecedented increase in memory pricing and the general unavailability of stock, due to most memory and storage being diverted to AI data centers, have already delayed Valve's planned early 2026 launch of the Steam Machine. Although Valve recently committed to releasing the Steam Machine in the first half of 2026, the current expectation is that it will likely arrive in limited quantities and at an inflated, higher-than-originally-planned price point.

So, yeah, seeing the Steam Deck, Valve's popular PC gaming handheld, suddenly go 'out of stock,' led to some genuine concern. Well, thanks to an update on the official Steam Deck store page, it looks like those concerns were valid, as the "memory and storage shortages" have caused the Steam Deck to become unavailable in several regions.

As of writing, both Steam Deck OLED models are available for purchase directly from Valve in Australia and the UK, with the note on the store page confirming that the global availability of Steam Deck handhelds will be 'out-of-stock' intermittently.

"Steam Deck OLED may be out of stock intermittently in some regions due to memory and storage shortages. Steam Deck LCD 256GB is no longer in production, and once sold out, will no longer be available," the note reads, confirming that the reason for the lack of Steam Deck handhelds in the U.S. is due to the current memory crisis caused by the AI boom. The note confirming that the shortages are temporary is good news, but with the "may be out of stock intermittently" phrasing, we can probably expect the Steam Deck 512GB OLED and 1TB OLED models to be in and out of stock throughout 2026.