Valve has officially confirmed pricing for the upcoming Steam Machine, and it’s much pricier than many originally feared.
The Steam Machine is a funny bit of kit. It’s essentially a PC that you can hook up to your TV, enjoying games as if you’re playing them on a console.
Scheduled to launch on 30 June, the base version of the Steam Machine (512GB) is set to cost gamers $1,049.
If you want it bundled with a controller, you’re looking at $1,128.
For the 2TB edition of the console, it’s $1,349 without a controller or $1,428 if you opt for the 2TB + controller bundle.
For comparison, the very expensive PlayStation 5 Pro retails for $899.99 – and that includes 2TB of storage and a controller.
You do, however, have to purchase a disc drive and vertical stand separately, but the Steam Machine doesn’t feature a disc drive either.
Not only is the PlayStation 5 Pro cheaper, but it’s also the more powerful piece of hardware.
Steam Machine Vs. PlayStation 5 Pro – Specifications Comparison
While the Steam Machine does boast a semi-custom AMD Zen 4 CPU, which improves performance and clock speeds, the PS5 Pro’s AMD Zen 2 is bolstered by eight cores and 16 threads, making it a tough race between the two.
Of course, you’re getting much more storage by default with the PlayStation 5 Pro, plus the console’s GPU utilises custom AMD RDNA-based components.
Reviews of the Steam Machine state that despite the hardware’s 4K capabilities, frames-per-second are pretty low.
“In Cyberpunk 2077 with the Ray Tracing Ultra preset at 4K, and with FSR set to ‘Performance’, the Steam Machine only managed to get 14 fps,” began IGN in its review.
“That’s pretty dismal, but once I turned down ray tracing, that number skyrocketed up to 42 fps at the same resolution.”
In comparison, the PlayStation 5 Pro can target 120fps using PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) to provide a graphical boost.
The Base PlayStation 5 Is Even Proving To Be More Powerful
Shockingly, in a comprehensive review, Digital Foundry concluded that you may find better value for money in the base PlayStation 5.
Black Myth: Wukong achieved a “3% lead” on the PlayStation 5 compared to its performance on the Steam Machine.
For Alan Wake 2, Digital Foundry added that the PlayStation 5 had “average frame rates 9% higher”. Crimson Desert averaged “17% higher frame rates” on the PlayStation 5.
Of course, it’s not quite a straightforward comparison between the Steam Machine and the PlayStation 5 Pro – or even the base PlayStation 5.
The Steam Machine is launching within a volatile period dominated by rising RAM costs due to worldwide shortages.
That’s pushed the price of the hardware up considerably, with the Steam Machine costing way beyond what Valve had originally planned for.
Could that be the nail in the Steam Machine’s coffin? Perhaps. The pricing certainly hasn’t gone down well online.
We’re likely to see similar pricing issues arise in the coming years though with Xbox’s Project Helix and PlayStation’s PS6.
Gamers very likely face being priced out of the next generation, which makes you wonder who these consoles are even for.
READ MORE: Xbox CEO Delivers Project Helix Price Update We All Feared
