The RAMageddon hits home
The recent price hikes for Valve's Steam Deck highlight the ongoing crisis in the supply and cost of digital storage components like RAM and SSDs. The base model's price increased by over 40%, marking a significant shift in the gaming hardware market. This situation underscores a broader trend of escalating prices in consumer electronics, making gaming increasingly unaffordable for many.
- ▪Valve's Steam Deck prices rose dramatically, with the 512GB model increasing from $550 to $790.
- ▪The price hikes reflect a larger crisis in the supply of RAM and SSDs affecting the gaming industry.
- ▪The Steam Deck, once a symbol of affordability in gaming, now faces challenges as hardware prices continue to rise.
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Home Opinion The RAMageddon hits home Valve rips the band–aid off Steam Deck pricing – and the prospect of gaming hardware becoming a hyper–expensive niche interest feels more credible than ever. Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun <img alt="Rob Fahey avatar" src="https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/Rob-Fahey-headshot.jpeg?width=2048&height=2048&fit=bounds&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp" style="aspect-ratio: 1" width="1214" height="1214" > Opinion by Rob Fahey Contributing Editor Published on May 29, 2026 Follow Sony The extent to which the ongoing crisis in cost and supply of digital storage – primarily meaning RAM and SSDs – is going to impact the games business can be hard to grasp. It's been the subject of headlines for months, but it can feel quite abstract.
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