It looks less likely by the day that Valve’s PC gaming console, aka the Steam Machine, will launch at an inexpensive price. It’s been roughly six months since Valve first announced the Steam Machine, together with the Steam Controller and VR headset, the Steam Frame. While the Steam Controller recently launched, there’s been no official word regarding the discharge of the 2 pieces of hardware. Rumors proceed to flow into for each, especially given the big amounts of shipping crates which have recently arrived within the U.S., but still, nothing official regarding their contents.
That being said, barely a day goes by without some mention of how the present DRAM/NAND shortage is affecting pricing and availability for consumer products, and it’s well-known that the Steam Machine is a victim of this. Speculation ran rampant across the web when it was announced in November that pricing was hoped to be across the $700 mark, which at this point is probably going a pipe dream reasonably than anything closely resembling a practical expectation. Some then speculated that it will probably be much closer to a $1,000 pricepoint, but now even that could be an underestimate.
Take this with a grain of salt, since it was just whispers in my ear
But back after I was told a figure for what Valve’s estimated price they’d need to set the starting price of Steam Machine, it was still higher than today’s Steam Deck prices..
And that was 2 months ago.. https://t.co/5NFhACz9NV
— Brad Lynch (@SadlyItsBradley) May 27, 2026
For reference, the present price of the 512 GB OLED Steam Deck is $789, and the 1 TB model is $949, per Valve’s official store page. Each, by the way in which, are still out of stock. Now, if the Steam Machine, which also has two variants of storage in 512 GB and a pair of TB options, were to launch at higher prices that may very well be over $800 and $1,000, respectively. Now, while some would decry an easy failure if launching at these prices, it needs to be considered that Sony’s prices for its current PlayStation 5 consoles range from $599.99 (digital edition) to $899 (Pro). Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Xbox Series X goes for between $599.99 (1 TB digital) and $799.99 (2 TB Galaxy Black). Each console makers have been repeatedly raising prices since last summer and are expected to proceed to achieve this before recent models arrive, and meanwhile, Valve obviously has to plan fastidiously if hoping to get its gaming alternative off to a superb start when it does finally see the sunshine of day.
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