Summary
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Valve wants Steam Decks back on sale, but availability remains limited due to supply issues.
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Lack of RAM and delays in shipping are major obstacles to stock recovery.
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Valve is diversifying suppliers to avoid the risk of a single source, but has not given an ETA for a return.
If you’ve tried to buy a Steam Deck recently, you may have noticed that it’s very difficult to get it from Valve if you live in certain regions. Currently, the popular handheld gaming device is facing a serious shortage due to RAM prices, delivery issues and people choosing the devices over PCs as the prices of the latter have gone up.
It’s been a few months since Valve first reported stock issues with Steam Deck, and things still look dire. The good news is that a recent interview revealed that Valve actually wants to put them back on sale. The bad news is that the memory crunch is still in effect, and there’s only so much Valve can realistically do.
Valve wants Steam Decks to make a comeback, but that’s easier said than done
RAM isn’t getting that cheap
in an interview with IGNpublication sat down with Valve’s Pierre-Loup Griffais and Steve Cardinali to discuss the newly revealed information. Steam Controller prices. However, in the middle of the interview, IGN asked the two what’s going on with the Steam Deck and when we can expect them to return to specific markets.
Pierre-Loup Griffais replied that although they want to bring Steam Deck back to the market, it is still very much a problem:
Well, we don’t have any concrete details to share on that, but it’s something we’re working hard on. As you know, there’s a lot of considerations right now about portability and lack of storage and all that.
So we’re trying to work on that, because we know very well that there are people who want to get the Steam Deck and can’t get it right now. It’s currently available in some regions, but overall it’s something we’re working hard on.
Griffais continues that Valve has always been hesitant to plan its consoles around single-source shipments, as any failure would bring the device’s production line to a screeching halt. So, by being more open to working with multiple suppliers, Valve can manage the RAM crisis more easily than hedging all its bets on one provider.
Even without an ETA on when the Steam Deck will return to the market, it’s good to hear that Valve isn’t giving up on it. Unfortunately, given how the world of artificial intelligence shows signs of stopping quickly, we may be stuck in RAM limbo for quite some time now.
