Valve confirms why it launched the Steam Controller before the Steam Machine: it doesn't have RAM

It almost seems like all the problems in the PC hardware space nowadays are somehow linked to the global DRAM shortage. Every other day, another component becomes more expensive due to the crippling supply-demand mismatch in both DRAM and CPU chips. The AI boom and its resulting global memory crisis seem to have taken another victim, this time being Valve's Steam Machine.

Valve officially announced the Steam Controller earlier this week, with a $99 price tag and a May 4th launch date. However, the keen-eyed among you might have remembered the earlier rumors that Valve was supposedly preparing the Steam Controller to launch alongside the Steam Machine, and the Steam Frame for that matter. After all, a controller being paired with a gaming machine makes perfect sense, right? So why the staggered launch?

Turns out, all roads lead to our old buddy, the DRAM shortage. In a recent interview with Polygon, Valve hardware engineer Steve Cardinali confirmed that the Steam Machine and Steam Frame are being held back by the ongoing memory crisis, and that the controller was ready to be shipped since it doesn't have any RAM in it.

"This doesn't have RAM in it, and it's not as complicated to start getting out the door for us. We're ready for it. We wanted to build up quantity so that we could try to address everybody who wants one at launch, but it's possible that the demand for it far exceeds our expectations."

- Cardinali told Polygon

The Valve engineer also pointed out that the Steam Controller and Steam Machine are a "pair made in heaven", so they tried to get them both ready at the same time, but it was never a hard-and-fast rule. It was mentioned, however, that Valve would not launch the Steam Machine ahead of the controller, which would have made the launch sequence a bit awkward. The controller was then launched first, since it was not dependent on the other components.

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Despite heavy rumors, Valve has been cautious about revealing too much about the Steam Machine ahead of the announcement, though recent rumors suggest they could make it official soon. They are also reportedly "hard at work" on the Steam Deck 2, another hardware release that needs that coveted DRAM allocation. Industry insiders also theorize that the Steam Frame could launch ahead of the Steam Machine, since it is less affected by the memory crisis.