Valve Sees Little Near-Term Relief From DRAM Costs

The TechPowerUp item says Valve's Steam Machine reached market at a much higher starting price than originally expected, with DRAM and storage costs cited as a key reason. In comments discussed by the article, Valve engineers framed lower hardware pricing as desirable but unlikely in the near term, while the story also points to Microsoft's recent console-price comments as another signal that DRAM costs remain a problem for gaming hardware vendors. For RamTrend, the important signal is that memory inflation is no longer only a component-channel issue. It is showing up in finished gaming systems and platform pricing decisions. If device makers cannot count on lower DRAM and storage costs, they have less room to discount systems, and consumers may see memory tightness through higher entry prices rather than through module prices alone.