That is an indirect issue. These companies are not in charge of Valve and do not business decisions for Steam.
The efficiency rating (in example bronze, gold) has nothing to do with the quality or how secure it is: https://www.velocitymicro.com/blog/what-is-psu-efficiency-and-why-is-it-important/ and https://cultists.network/7028/80-plus-issues-and-solutions/ Here is an up to date tier list (unfortunately a Google spreadsheet): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1akCHL7Vhzk_EhrpIGkz8zTEvYfLDcaSpZRB6Xt6JWkc/htmlview?gid=1719706335&pru=AAABm9YLTts*XFZjbFuCDKD48lUPIDVicA#gid=1719706335
Console prices were going up even before RAM prices. Its ridiculous!
Ah yes, the expensive RAM in my power supply and CPU cooler. Classic.
I can't archive the entirety of Github, Gitlab and many more services with all source code in all versions and metadata. And make it available to everyone at all times. This is not an effort to archive a few of my personal project, this is an attempt to archive every piece of software that can be archived. Otherwise do you not agree that the Internet Archive has a value archiving all the websites? This is similar, but for software code.
The only problem is the current most used AAA game engine Unreal Engine 5. It is not very good for low end hardware, as the system and developers struggle to optimize it. Even the best devs struggle. But they can't afford to require high end or just mid PCs. Handhelds become quite popular now. Devs want to make games run on Switch 2, which is beneficial as whole because it has to run under constraints of the system and environment.
Given that RAM prices may stay this expensive, my prediction is that developers absolutely have to make their games run on less powerful hardware (and on 16gb). I wonder how the Steam Machine (PC from Valve) will impact developers focus on Steam Deck.
Why would they sell it for cheap, if they can sell it for just a little but under current market value and maximize the profit? People would buy it, if it is the cheapest option. Which does not mean it will be cheap overall, if its constantly sold out.
My old computer is 16gb DDR-3, as I used it long time before jumping over to 32gb DDR-5 based systems. And thanks to consoles and rising handhelds (first gen Steam Deck <3), 16gb will be still the base floor for long time it seems.
I can still support the companies that support me and what I care. And Steam is the only gaming company that does that. I would rather buy and play on Steam than on any other platform. No one says its a perfect place. Doing profit for the company is what I want them to do, otherwise I wouldn't trust the company exist in the future. And compared to most other gaming companies, Valve is still a private company that does not need to bend its knees for investors. They are very much interested into surviving long term with happy customers. And they support Open Source and Linux. These are very important values to me.
How? Also my statement is correct. Just because you don't like the company does not change the fact that lot of Indie game developers and game stars get famous in Steam. If they sign an exclusive contract on Epic, it will most likely die (as we seen it again and again). Valve (Steam) on the other hand support the things I like and want to use, like Linux and Open Source. They pay open source developers to do stuff and it benefits me, the eco system, the community and other companies.
So what is the problem you have?
Edit: In other words: Don't tell me what to do, convince me.
The point is, does it someone? This archive is doing exactly what you say someone could do, copying the software to a place that most likely will survive. They give some examples to what dangers are there, even for open source software. In example, are all Git repositories on Github and other personal repositories backed up on a safe place that will be available to the public at same place? All versions of it?
Not all code is big and used as often and secured like the Linux code in example. 20 years from now, there will be software, that most individuals and companies will not have anymore on their servers and may not even care. Hardware fails, services disappear and so on. It's like arguing that anyone can do a website copy to archive it, but does anyone do it? Same thing applies here.
Unfortunately the reality is, that developers don't have all time of the world. They have deadlines to meet and focus on the thing that is in their mind the most important at the moment. For AAA it often means high quality textures and advanced tech like RayTracing, while they have less time to optimize it for weak hardware. On the other side some devs optimize for low hardware and then they don't get the attention in the media they want to have, by having the greatest and biggest graphics. So they start optimizing later if the game is not too buggy and it is a success, so they get the greenlight to do more work on it.
Off course I simplify and it depends on the teams and publishers and so on. The point I am making is, that its not as easy a decision as we think or hope it would be. Especially because publishers force some decisions, regardless of what the developers or gamers want to have or need.