Steam Deck OLED out of stock in U.S., with fears that memory shortage will prompt price increase

After Valve retired the more affordable LCD model late in 2025, the Steam Deck OLED is now sold out in some regions. U.S. buyers find that all versions of the gaming handheld are out of stock on its official marketplace. With the memory shortage delaying the Steam Machine, there are concerns that a price increase is looming.

Steam Deck OLED models with 512GB or 1TB storage remain for sale in some countries, including the UK and Australia. Still, it’s unusual to see so many SKUs in a major market simultaneously become unavailable. Refurbished alternatives are also no longer an option on the United States site.

Valve has yet to provide an explanation for the inventory suddenly evaporating. That hasn’t stopped fans of the gaming handheld from speculating on Reddit. One popular theory is that, due to storage and memory shortages, the manufacturer can no longer meet demand.

The Steam Deck OLED uses 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, which has seen dramatic price hikes driven by the AI boom. SSD costs are also rising, as data centers expand capacities. The crisis has led to uncertainty about release dates for the Steam Machine, Steam Frame VR headset, and a new controller.

When will the Steam Deck OLED return?

U.S. gamers are worried that the handheld won't resurface at its original MSRP. Boasting specs like an upgraded 90Hz display and improved battery life, the 2023 revision quickly became a hot item. With the LCD alternative discontinued, it was the only mobile solution from Valve.

Given that the rumored Steam Deck 2 may not arrive until 2028 or later, fans are anxious for an update on its predecessor. More OLED Windows competitors will ship with SteamOS in the future, including the Legion Go 2. Unfortunately, the Steam Deck OLED price is far more affordable in comparison.