The global memory crisis just claimed another victim. Valve updated its Steam Deck product page to warn customers that the OLED model will be "intermittently" out of stock in some regions due to memory and storage shortages. The PC gaming handheld has already disappeared from shelves across the US and other markets, marking the latest casualty in a supply crunch that's reshaping the entire consumer gaming landscape.
Valve just confirmed what frustrated customers have been experiencing for days - the Steam Deck OLED is running dry because of the global RAM crisis. The company quietly added a notice to its Steam Deck website warning that the popular PC gaming handheld may be out of stock "intermittently in some regions due to memory and storage shortages," according to The Verge.
The admission comes after the Steam Deck OLED vanished from online stores across the US and other key markets over the past few days, leaving potential buyers staring at sold-out pages. Now we know why - Valve's caught in the same supply chain squeeze that's throttling the entire gaming hardware industry.
This isn't Valve's first brush with the memory shortage. Just weeks ago, the company pushed back three major hardware launches - the Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and Steam Controller - from their planned early 2026 shipping window. "We have work to do to land on concrete pricing and launch dates that we can confidently announce, being mindful of how quickly the circumstances around [the memory crisis are evolving]," Valve said in that earlier announcement, as reported by The Verge.
The Steam Deck OLED, which launched in late 2023 as a premium refresh of Valve's original handheld, has been one of the company's strongest sellers. The device packs a vibrant 7.4-inch HDR OLED screen, improved battery life, and faster Wi-Fi into a form factor that lets PC gamers take their Steam libraries anywhere. But that success is now colliding head-on with a global component shortage that shows no signs of easing.
