Valve Engineer Says Memory Shortage Getting Worse, Not Better
The memory shortage is not a temporary pricing issue but a structural supply crisis that is forcing Valve to rethink hardware design and pricing, with no relief in sight for years.
Reporting from 1 source: Automaton.
Valve's Steam Machine launched June 23 with high prices blamed on memory shortages. Valve engineers now say the shortage is worsening and will not improve soon. The internal configuration was changed from dual-channel to single-channel because 8GB modules became impossible to procure. Suppliers predict the crisis may last until 2028-2030.
The Steam Machine ships with a single-channel 16GB memory module instead of the originally planned dual-channel 8GB modules because Valve could not reliably procure 8GB modules. Valve engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais told Gamers Nexus that memory procurement is now so tight that if a supplier offer is refused once, the company will never be contacted again. Another Valve engineer, Yazan Aldehayyat, said the actual shortage is worse than what the retail market shows, with a lag of three to six months. SK Hynix CEO Kwak Noh-Jung predicted 2027 will be the worst year for memory, with supply not outpacing demand until after 2030.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.