Following a week full of rumors about the Steam Machine price, Valve has finally released a statement. According to the publisher, the new console won’t be priced like a console, so players might need to pay more than they expected.
Valve Confirms Steam Machine Priced Like a PC
If you’ve been following the Steam Machine pricing saga, you know there has been a lot of confusion surrounding it. Initial leaks claimed that the new console would be expensive like a PC. However, hardware experts claimed that the actual Steam Machine components were not that pricey. Then YouTuber LinusTechTips threw a wrench in the conversation when he revealed that Valve became “silent” when he mentioned a $500 price point to them. I know, it’s a lot to follow.
However, it appears that Valve is finally making a more direct statement about the device. During the November 22 Friends Per Second podcast episode, Valve developer Pierre-Loup Griffais addressed speculation about the console’s pricing. “No, it’s more in line with what you might expect from the current PC market. Obviously, our goal is for it to be a good deal at that level of performance. And then you have features that are actually really hard to build if you’re making your own gaming PC from parts.”
This is interesting because it’s what LinusTechTips originally said back on November 13. So it appears Valve is now confirming the YouTuber’s statement that the Steam Machine will be “priced like a PC.” Griffais elaborated a bit further during the podcast and added, “I think that if you build a PC from parts and get to basically the same level of performance, that’s the general price window that we aim to be at.” So yeah, it appears the Steam Machine isn’t going to be priced like a console. So it might be expensive? Who knows at this point?
Who Is the Steam Machine Even For?
Valve’s latest comments still don’t really clarify an exact price range. But since they are now directly saying it’s going to be “priced like a PC,” it begs the question of who the device is even for. One of the biggest hurdles is that the Steam Machine is not as powerful as a base PS5, which currently retails for $499.
If the Steam Machine ends up being $600 or more, then it really becomes a bit of a hard sell. It’s not strong enough for PC players, while also not cheap enough for console owners. You would essentially be paying a premium to be able to connect the Steam store to your living room TV. However, there are already numerous ways for players to connect their PC to their TV.
I actually have a dock that lets me connect my Steam Deck and Xbox ROG Ally X to my TV. While not the exact same thing, I essentially can access the Steam store in my living room. It is also interesting that Valve’s Pierre-Loup Griffais keeps highlighting the Steam Machine’s small form factor.
The console is absolutely impressive and sleek, but I’m not sure that alone can justify a $600 price tag (should it cost that). However, only time will tell what the Steam Machine is actually priced at. For now, Valve is only stating that it will be priced like an entry-level PC and not a console. So take what you will from that.
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