Valve Needs To Reconsider Steam Machine Pricing
In a recent post courtesy of Steam, Valve has revealed that there has been a delay when it comes to both the launch date and potential price tag of the Steam Machine.
“When we announced these products in November, we planned on being able to share specific pricing and launch dates by now. But the memory and storage shortages you’ve likely heard about across the industry have rapidly increased since then. The limited availability and growing prices of these critical components mean we must revisit our exact shipping schedule and pricing (especially around Steam Machine and Steam Frame).
As such, Valve still plans on launching the Steam Machine in the first half of 2026, but it still has work to do on both a concrete release date and price point. With plans to keep us updated whilst it settles on this important information, it also makes clear “how quickly the circumstances around both of those things can change.” So how much could the Steam Machine actually be? Well, the console will have two models available — 512GB and 2TB. Additionally, you will have the option to purchase it with or without the Steam Controller. According to Valve’s Lawrence Yang and Pierre-Loup Griffais on the Friends Per Second podcast, the price will be “more in line with what you might expect from [the] current PC market… I think that if you build a PC from parts, and get to the same level of performance, that’s the general price window we aim to be at.”
How Much Will Gamers Need To Save Up?
Put simply, at the time of writing, we do not know how much the Steam Machine will be, especially with prices of technology and hardware rapidly increasing on a daily basis. However, potential customers over on r/pcmasterrace have recently been discussing the potential price tag, and what it could mean for the gaming industry as a whole. “For those waiting for the Steam Machine to release. There isn’t any way Valve will release it at the initial speculated price point now. Hardware is outdated and RAM and SSDs are expensive,” one user shared. Another user had a suggestion, writing, “Just release the controller and push the system back so it doesn’t die on the vine because of the price.”
With the Steam Machine still expected to launch in the first half of 2026, there are still a few months to go until the PC-like console is expected to drop. However, will its potential price point be a deal-breaker for potential customers?