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Valve Plans Steam Deck 2 Launch for 2028; Component Shortages Cause Price Hikes and Delay Other Hardware

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Valve's Hardware Roadmap: Steam Deck 2, Price Hikes, and Delays

Steam Deck 2: A 2028 Target

Valve is aiming for a 2028 release for its next-generation Steam Deck 2 handheld gaming PC, according to hardware leaker KeplerL2. Speaking on a NeoGAF forum, the leaker noted that the timeline could slip into 2029 due to ongoing shortages of RAM and NAND components.

"The RAM/NAND situation could delay it," KeplerL2 stated, adding that without a semi-custom system-on-chip (SoC) requirement, "if it gets delayed it could end up with better specs."

Valve has established clear criteria for what constitutes a worthwhile generational leap. Software engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais told IGN that the company is not interested in marginal improvements.

"We’re not interested in getting to a point where it’s 20 or 30 or even 50% more performance at the same battery life. We want something a little bit more demarcated than that."

The Steam Deck 2 is expected to feature a semi-custom AMD SoC, with speculation pointing toward Zen 6 CPU and RDNA 5 GPU architectures. This would represent a significant upgrade from the original Steam Deck's Zen 2 and RDNA 2 components. Potential features include support for ray-tracing and advanced upscaling techniques.

Current Steam Deck Price Increases

Valve announced substantial price increases for the Steam Deck OLED models on Wednesday:

  • 512GB model: Rose from $549 to $789 (a $240 increase)
  • 1TB model: Rose from $649 to $949 (a $300 increase)
  • Refurbished 512GB OLED: Now $629
  • Refurbished 1TB OLED: Now $759

Discontinued LCD model prices remained unchanged, with the refurbished 512GB LCD priced at $359.

Valve attributed the increases to broader industry pressures: "Steam Deck itself hasn't changed; these new prices reflect the current state of component costs and other global logistical challenges across the industry as a whole."

Availability Concerns

  • The LCD model has been quietly discontinued in several markets
  • OLED unit deliveries have experienced delays since March
  • Valve updated its Steam Deck store page to note the OLED model may be "intermittently" out of stock in certain regions due to memory and storage shortages
  • As of the price increase announcement, both OLED models were in stock with an estimated delivery time of three to five business days

Delays: Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and Steam Controller

Valve's entire hardware lineup has faced revised timelines. Initially announced in November with an "early 2026" launch target, the shipping schedule has been repeatedly pushed back.

  • February: Valve revised the target to the first half of 2026 due to increased memory and storage shortages
  • March: Valve updated guidance to "We hope to ship in 2026, but as we shared recently, memory and storage shortages have created challenges for us"
  • Product pages on SteamDB now show the release date as "coming soon"

Pricing Reevaluation

"The limited availability and growing prices of these critical components mean we must revisit our exact shipping schedule and pricing (especially around Steam Machine and Steam Frame)."

Valve had previously positioned these products competitively:

  • Steam Machine: Near the entry level of the PC market
  • Steam Frame headset: Lower than the $999 Index
  • Steam Controller: Competitively priced with other advanced-input controllers

Steam Machine Performance

The Steam Machine, equipped with an 8GB GPU, can play most Steam titles at 4K 60FPS using AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) upscaling technology. For demanding titles, Valve suggested playing at a lower framerate with Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) or a 1080p internal resolution.

Steam Controller Release Date

A now-hidden article by Japanese gaming outlet 4Gamer listed May 4 as the release date for the Steam Controller, though Valve has not officially confirmed this date.

A review by Techy Talk, published before the intended embargo date and later taken down, stated the controller is priced at $99.99 in the United States and approximately £74.99 in the United Kingdom.

A large shipment of wireless controllers was discovered in public corporate shipping records earlier this month.

Industry Context

Valve's challenges reflect a broader industry trend of rising costs and shortages:

  • Demand from AI companies for memory and storage components has been cited as a factor driving up costs
  • Sony and Nintendo have announced price increases for the PlayStation 5 and Switch 2, respectively
  • Lenovo has raised prices on its handheld gaming devices
  • Xbox increased console prices in the US in September 2025
  • Sony announced PlayStation Plus price increases and stated PlayStation 5 prices will rise in the US, UK, Japan, and Europe starting April 2026