Valve confirmed it has zero negotiating power with RAM manufacturers who set monthly prices on a take-it-or-leave-it basis — if Valve refuses, the suppliers cut them off entirely. This reflects the brutal consolidation in memory chip manufacturing where a handful of companies control supply and pricing. The broader context is that this same dynamic is squeezing hardware makers across the industry in 2026, not just Valve, though Valve's public acknowledgment highlights how severe the power imbalance has become.