Valve Kicks Off Next-Gen Console Price Wars With Hefty Official Steam Machine Listings

Getting out ahead of the PlayStation 6 and Xbox Project Helix, Valve has entered the console wars and has set an outrageously ambitious price tag for the Steam Machine.

Having been a long time in the works, the Steam Machine is Valve's entrance into the console game, masking up a powerful PC inside a shell that fits neatly on your desk.

Despite delays, in which Valve dished out an abundance of free games as an apology, the Valve console is now taking an early chance on the market, as we count down to its launch date.

Now, Valve has announced its pricing plans, and it's an eye-watering sum for the base model alone, before you start adding on the upgrades.

Steam Machine Official Prices Announced

Four tiers of pricing models have been announced for the Steam Machine, varying between storage size and an added controller.

Akin to the Xbox Series X|S, a smaller model comes cheaper than the bigger 2TB version, but all of the console packages come north of a $1,000

A full list of confirmed Steam Machine prices is as follows:

• Steam Machine 512GB - $1,049
• Steam Machine 512GB Plus Controller - $1,128
• Steam Machine 2TB - $1,349
• Steam Machine 2TB Plus Controller - $1,428

Valve

This price dwarfs leaks of an earlier 'reasonable' price, but given that it will be the superior console to play Grand Theft Auto VI on, you can see the method in the madness.

How Does The Steam Machine Price Compare To PS6 And Project Helix?

It's quite safe to say that the Steam Machine appears to be more expensive than both the PlayStation 6 and Xbox's Project Helix.

Microsoft's new marvel, Asha Sharma, recently hinted that their upcoming console will undercut both competitors, but confessed that there could yet be a similar price hike considering the shortage of parts (not surprising given the three-way fight for graphics cards and power units).

Reports suggest that Helix won't be too much cheaper than the Steam Machine, though, coming at roughly $1,000 now, despite hopes of being around $700.

As for the PlayStation 6, well, it's looking good in the blue corner. Rumours suggest that the PS6 will be an exact match for the Steam Machine at $1,050, which is only around $150 more than a PS5 Pro.

No matter which camp you're in, the next evolution of console wars is going to take a hefty chunk out of your bank account, and that is before you even consider the huge game releases coming in the next 12 months.

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