Featured Image Credit: Valve
Topics: Steam Machine, Valve, Steam
The announcement of the Steam Machine was met with understandable excitement by Valve's considerable audience, with many thinking that it could mark the next step in the integration between console and PC gamers.
Much of that excitement quickly turned to trepidation, however, when fans started think about how much the hardware might cost when it eventually releases.
Earlier this week, a Czech retailer seemingly accidentally leaked the price of the upcoming Steam Machine. PC and console gamers alike quickly took to social to share their shock at how much it costs.
Unfortunately, some have used that as a proverbial rod to beat Valve with, and while I'm all for sticking it to the megacorps, it doesn't really feel like it's deserved and, in my opinion, there are quite a few reasons for that.
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At current exchange rates, and if the leaks are to be believed, the 512GB model could cost a hefty $950 USD (£707 GBP), while the 2TB model could be $1,070 USD (£796 GBP). Ouch.
Okay, it's expensive. I get that. But look at that LED light on the front! I'm joking, of course.
If you're a PC gamer, you know how expensive PC components are nowadays. I think it's better to look at the Steam Machine as a PC, rather than just a games console. Remember - a key factor at launch was that you can install your own apps, or even another operating system. That means you can emulate all those retro games you own legally on the big screen. That's what I'm most excited for, personally.
If you've got a Steam Deck as well, Valve offers streaming to its eco-system of hardware, including the Steam Deck, Steam Frame, or any other device running Steam or Steam Link.
The Xbox Series S 512GB currently retails at $379.99/£283 GBP, while the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition is $499.99/£372. Both received price increases in 2025 due to tariffs, making it actually more expensive now when they were at launch in many cases.
Much of the price rise in recent times has come thanks to the use of AI to create horrible memes and rip off legitimate art, with data centres using a significant amount of the existing supply.
This effect is now being felt with other PC components that AI data centres use beyond RAM, and it's showing no signs of slowing down in the near future.
There is an argument to say that Valve could subsidise some of the cost of the hardware, but short of them taking a massive loss on each console that they sell, there isn't a world where they can make it worthwhile to produce the Steam Machine in the first place.
Though they haven't confirmed the final price yet, a lot of estimates believe that we could be looking at anything between $700-$1000. Whilst that is obviously a significant amount of money, if you look at building your own equivalent system, it's going to cost at the top end of that spectrum, comfortably.
Couple that in with the fact that your own equivalent PC won't run games nearly as well via Steam, given how good the company is at designing products around their own platform, and it immediately becomes less galling.
All of that is assuming that you build a PC yourself, with the pre-built market always adding a couple of hundred dollars/pounds to the price for the labour required to put it together.
At the same time, aggressive tariffs in the United States have worsened market conditions even further, with the current geopolitics of the planet a little bit beyond anything that a gaming company can control.
Now there are still plenty of questions to be asked about the successful delivery of the Steam Machine into the hands of consumers, but the cost of the thing is fair given just how hostile the market for PCs is right now. Lets hope it all calms down before launch day and Valve can drop the hardware at a price that's a little more palatable.
Reckon you'll pick one up?