(Credit: Valve)
Sales of Valve's Steam Deck OLED have resumed in the US after the handheld was listed as sold out for weeks due to the memory shortage.
Valve's website and the Steam Store are now selling the 512GB and 1TB models. And surprisingly, there's no price increase, despite the rising cost of RAM.
(Credit: Valve)Interested consumers should act fast. Valve’s website had the 512GB model up for sale earlier in the day, only for it to sell out. But it looks like the company has loaded more inventory. Valve's site adds, "Reservation Servers are busy, please try again," suggesting that would-be buyers are overwhelming the site.
In some bad news, the Steam Deck will get a price hike in Asia, effective March 6, according to Japanese distributor Komodo. Interestingly, though, Komodo isn’t blaming the price increase on the memory shortage. “Due to increased logistics costs and shifting exchange rate conditions that have persisted since the initial launch of Steam Deck, Komodo has made the difficult decision to raise the price of Steam Deck OLED in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan,” it says.
In Japan, the prices of the Steam Deck OLED 512GB and 1TB models are rising by about $100. In Korea, it's only about $40, while Taiwan will see a $16 price bump. Komodo also noted: “The price in Hong Kong will remain the same as the region has been less impacted by these factors.”
The memory shortage has also caused Valve to delay the release of the Steam Machine and VR-focused Steam Frame. The company still plans on shipping both products during the first half of the year, although users can expect a price increase.