Valve has not only said that they won’t be making a loss on Steam Machine but that its price will be more in line with a PC than a console.
The annoucement that Valve is going to give the Steam Machine concept a second go has been one of the biggest surprise announcements of the year. The device is a sort of missing link between console and PC, with the small, cube-like hardware able to connect to any TV or monitor and supposedly capable of playing any Steam game.
That’s great in theory, and very similar to what many expect from the next gen Xbox, but the unveiling earlier in the month was very short on details, most obviously in terms of its price.
If it’s halfway between a console and PC that already gives an indication that it will be more expensive than a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, but according to Valve the price will be closer to a PC than a console.
Valve has given no official comment on the device’s pricing but according to YouTuber Linus Sebastian, who visited Valve for the unveiling, the hardware will not be subsidised, i.e. it will not be sold at a loss, as has often been the case for PlayStation and Xbox devices in the past.
Linus suggests that Valve hasn’t yet decided on the price due to ‘rapidly evolving market conditions’ – a euphemism for not just Trump’s tariffs but the fact that the current obsession with AI is increasing the cost of components and making some hard to source.
According to Linus, ‘They said that while they expect it to be very competitively priced with a PC, it will be priced like a PC, rather than like a console with games subsidising the upfront hardware purchase.’
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He speculates that Valve are concerned that someone purchasing a Steam Machine, particularly developers or other companies using them for primarily non-gaming purposes, won’t necessarily buy any games for them, so they have to make money on the hardware itself.
Previously, the only hint as to how much the Steam Machine would cost is the fact that its technical specifications point towards a device that is not much more powerful than a PlayStation 5.
However, tech specs are often deceiving, when viewed in insolation, and Valve themselves have stated that the Steam Machine will be six times more powerful than the portable Steam Deck, whose cheapest model is £349 and most expensive is £569.
Although they’re cheaper at the moment, in the Black Friday sales, the standard PlayStation 5 model is £479.99 and the Digital Edition is £359.99. The more powerful PS5 Pro is £699.99.
How much is the Steam Machine likely to cost?
A price similar to the Digital Edition would make the Steam Machine a very attractive proposition but a decent gaming PC will set you back at least £1,000 and can easy be twice or three times that amount.
If the quote from Valve is accurate then it sounds very much like the Steam Machine is going to be at least as much as the PS5 Pro and probably more.
That alone precludes it from being a mass market device, especially in the current financial climate, but it’s not certain that’s something Valve cares about.
Despite its popularity with hardcore gamers, the Steam Deck has sold only a few million units worldwide and Valve has done little to push it further.
Likewise, the Steam Frame VR headset, which was announced alongside the Steam Machine, is not only going to be expensive but there’s little in the way of a proven market for it – and yet Valve doesn’t seem to care.
The Steam Machine is planned for release in spring next year but there’s no release date yet and no guarantee it won’t be delayed.
It’s uncertain when more information on it might be released, although rumours continue to suggest that Half-Life 3 and/or other significant first party Valve games will be announced this year.
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