Valve has confirmed that the Steam Machine will not be priced like a console, but instead will follow a PC-like pricing model. The company didn’t reveal the price range for its upcoming PC/console hybrid, saying it hasn’t yet finalized pricing internally. But Valve says the Steam Machine will be priced in line with a similarly powerful PC.
The expected price of the steam engine has been the subject of debate and discussion since the device was launched earlier this month. Valve unveiled a PC/console hybrid game as well as new controllers and VR headsets, but didn’t reveal pricing for any of the new devices.
But Valve programmer Pierre-Loup Griffais said on the latest episode of the Friends Per Second podcast that the Steam Machine will be priced in line with an equivalent PC rather than a console.
“I think if you build a computer out of components and achieve essentially the same level of performance, that’s the overall price window we’re targeting,” he said. “Ideally we’d be pretty competitive on this and get pretty good deals, but as we speak, we’re working on refining that and it’s hard to really know what the price is right now because there’s a lot of different things moving around.”
Steam consoles will follow PC pricing
Valve confirmed that the Steam Machine will not be subsidized like consoles. Sony and Microsoft have both hit the retail prices of PlayStation and Xbox consoles in an effort to generate revenue from services sold on their platforms. In addition to subscription services like PS Plus and Game Pass, the two companies also get a commission from every purchase made on their respective digital storefronts. This is not Valve’s plan.
“No, it’s more in line with what you would expect in the current PC market,” Griffith said. “Obviously, our goal is to make it perform well at this level of performance. If you build your own gaming PC out of parts, you have features that are actually very difficult to build.
“For something as small as this, I think the noise levels we’ve achieved, or lack thereof, are really impressive, and we’re excited about how quiet this thing is that people will find.
Griffais went on to talk about some of the features that come with the Steam machine, such as HDMI CEC, controller on, off support, etc., which are “very valuable.”
“There’s no real price point because there’s nothing like that in the PC market right now,” he said.
Griffais also said that Valve may make a higher-spec “Pro” version of the Steam machine in the future.
“It’s possible, yes. I think we’re open to anything. At the moment, we’re focused on this level of spec because we think it’s a good trade-off between affordability and the level of power we’re getting,” he said.
Valve’s comments on the Steam Machine’s PC-like price come after Linus Sebastian of Linus Tech Tips hinted that the device might be priced at $500 above console standards. The company’s update does indicate that the Steam Machine will cost over $500, similar to a PC with similar specs.
The PS5 and Xbox Series X both launched in 2020 for $500, but have since become more expensive. Steam Machine will launch in early 2026, along with the new Steam Controller and Steam Frame VR headset.
