Steam Machine pricing explained: Why Valve’s console-style PC costs over $1,000
Rising RAM and storage costs pushed Valve’s living-room PC well beyond its original pricing expectations.
This morning, Valve surprised the world by finally announcing a release date for the Steam Machine, as well as its price. And boy, was it much more than we expected. Starting at $1,049 for the 512 GB version and reaching nearly $1,400 for the 2 TB model with a Steam Controller, Valve’s living-room-ready, console-style PC comes with a price tag that surprised even the company itself.
In an interview with IGN, Valve engineers Pierre-Loup Griffais and Yazan Aldehayyat discussed the console’s development. They also touched on the topic of pricing, which—as had already been announced—has been affected by the current shortage in the computer components market, particularly RAM and storage. Although the engineers were unable to provide a specific figure, they did note that the price revealed reflects the same increase applied to the Steam Deck OLED last month.
How much would the Steam Machine have cost originally?
Last month, the Steam Deck OLED returned after months of being out of stock, priced between $549 and $789 for the 512 GB version and $649 to $949 for the 1 TB version. This represented a price increase of around 35 to 36%—one that consumers seemingly didn’t mind, as the product sold out again within a few hours.
This increase, when applied to the $1,049 price at which the Steam Machine will be sold, suggests that before the RAM price hike, the hardware may have been priced at approximately $749.
Related stories
Valve had announced the delay of the Steam Machine earlier this year and, at the time, admitted that limited availability and rising costs for these critical components were forcing the company to “review” both its shipping plans and pricing policy, with a particular impact on the Steam Machine and Steam Frame.
Follow MeriStation USA on X (formerly known as Twitter). Your video game and entertainment website for all the news, updates, and breaking news from the world of video games, movies, series, manga, and anime. Previews, reviews, interviews, trailers, gameplay, podcasts and more! Follow us now!