2026 would still be in the plans
Valve might have been able to clarify its plans for the release of its Steam Machine if the RAM market crisis had not disrupted everything. And at this point, one would almost be able to ask whether a postponement is not the most prudent thing to do, if only to avoid a floor price that is too high for the public.
If Valve still maintains its desire to launch its hardware during this first half of the year, a message posted on Steam has caused confusion. It initially showed Valve thinking about its plans for the launch, by indicating being able to “ distribute [la Steam Machine] in 2026 ». Note the emphasis on the verb used here, suggesting that an exit in 2026 is still to be placed in the conditional tense.
But when the information began to make the rounds on social networks last night following this publication, Valve quickly changed its press release to indicate that the three products (Steam Machine, the Steam Frame headset, and the new Steam controller) will be released in 2026. However, he reiterates that the RAM and memory problem does exist. A damage control carried out in great haste, even if Valve does not indicate here that its plans for a release in the first half of the year still hold. Maybe even at this point, Valve doesn’t know it itself.
Valve says they “hope to ship in 2026” in its Steam Year In Review 2025 post steamcommunity.com/groups/steam…
— Wario64 (@wario64.bsky.social) 2026-03-06T21:09:25.056Z