Steam Machine Doubles In Price As Gamers Settle For Paying Extortionate Resellers

Steam Machine hopefuls who were counting on securing a unit soon are being warned to watch out for resellers.

As Valve sorts all interested Steam Machine buyers into a randomised queue, some users who were successful have listed their reservation on eBay for almost double the retail price set by Valve.

It appears that many of these listings on eBay, which range in price between $1,500 and $2,899, have also managed to sell to desperate buyers who wish to skip the queue.

Looking on eBay, we’ve found a few listings for the PC-console hybrid which sold at these prices.

One listing for the base model of the Steam Machine, which is normally priced at $1,049, has sold for $1,449.99.

Another listing shows that the 2TB model without a controller, which Valve has priced at $1,349, has actually sold for $2,899.

Other listings show the various different models are being sold at varying prices, but are generally around 20–50% more expensive than if they were to be bought directly from Valve.

Valve has attempted to limit resellers by implementing a few measures to ensure this kind of behaviour doesn’t go unchecked.

For starters, the Steam account you buy from has to be in good standing, with at least one purchase on the platform prior to April 27, 2026. It’s also limited the number of purchases an account can make to one system per household.

However, that has clearly not completely eliminated reseller activity here, as evidenced by the number of listings which have cropped up on eBay.

Read More: 13 Classic Games You'll Be Able To Play On Steam Machine (That You Can't On PS5)

Source: eBay

It Is Not Recommended That Steam Machine Customers Buy At These Prices

Still, users are not recommended to purchase Steam Machines at these prices. For starters, the Steam Machine is not a collector’s item.

Once more stock becomes available, you’ll be able to get your hands on one without paying more than the recommended retail price. Since resellers are simply trying to profit off other people’s desperation, you’re just unnecessarily putting money in another person’s pocket.

Secondly, the Steam Machine is priced at such a price because that’s what the price of its components are currently worth during the current ongoing RAM shortages that have come about due to AI companies buying up all the stock.

However, at $2,899 you’d be able to buy yourself a much more powerful PC that has huge performance improvements over the hardware in the Steam Machine.

So at the end of the day, if you have that much cash to splash, you’re better off not going with a Steam Machine, and instead building your own with much more powerful tech inside it.

The Steam Machine is a Linux-based PC that runs games using SteamOS, the custom operating system designed by Valve which also powers the Steam Deck.

Although you can use it like a traditional PC at a computer desk, it also has practical applications as a console-like experience in your living room, but with all the benefits of PC gaming such as modding, custom configurations, and desktop browsing.