Valve says RAM crisis has not changed Steam Deck 2 goals

Valve says the RAM supply crisis has not fundamentally changed its plans for Steam Deck 2, but current market conditions could affect when the handheld launches.

In an interview with IGN, Valve engineers Pierre-Loup Griffais and Jeff Leinbaugh were asked whether the memory shortage had altered the company’s plans. Griffais said “not really,” explaining that Valve still wants Steam Deck 2 to deliver a clearly defined generational performance improvement over the existing Steam Deck.

Griffais said the company is assessing “how and when we can deliver” the product, while keeping its goals for the user experience and hardware broadly similar. That suggests higher prices for RAM and other components could change the launch timing, rather than force Valve to reduce the planned performance jump.

Valve has not announced a release date or final specifications for Steam Deck 2. The comments also leave open the possibility of a delay if market conditions make the intended product difficult to deliver at an acceptable price. TechRadar notes that reported RAM-related price increases have had a negative impact on Steam Deck sales in recent times, adding pressure for Valve to avoid an expensive sequel that falls short of its promised generational leap.