Don't Expect the Steam Machine Price to Follow a 'Console Pricing Model' of $500

Valve’s announcement of the Steam Machine has sparked overmuch statement online astir the company’s instrumentality to the PC successful the surviving country space, but 1 cardinal portion of accusation remains unknown: price.

The Steam Machine is simply a gaming-focused PC designed to beryllium much accessible than a modular desktop PC, with a sleek, cube-like plan and SteamOS on-board. We present astatine IGN person offered our thoughts connected however overmuch the Steam Machine volition cost, suggesting it’ll astir apt beryllium higher than radical think. But chatter astir pricing has ramped up again aft Linus Sebastian of Linus Tech Tips recalled a speech helium had astir the taxable with Valve itself up of the Steam Machine reveal.

On a caller occurrence of the WAN Show, Linus recalled that helium had expressed his disappointment to Valve that Steam Machine wouldn’t travel a console pricing exemplary wherever it is subsidized by the shaper due to the fact that it takes a 30% chopped of income made connected the platform, arsenic the likes of Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo bash with their consoles.

Linus said helium was past asked by Valve what helium meant by a “console price,” to which helium responded $500. “Nobody said anything, but the vigor of the country wasn't great,” Linus continued.

Here are the comments successful full:

“So basically, it's a 7600 CPU and a 7600 GPU. This is not a ace almighty machine. Valve is upfront saying that they are going to beryllium relying connected FSR successful bid to execute 4K. And adjacent past man, similar 8 gigs of VRAM, anyone other would beryllium taking a ton of flak for shipping a crippled console contiguous with 8 gigs of VRAM.

“I can’t archer you what the terms volition beryllium due to the fact that I virtually don't cognize but, erstwhile I said, ‘I'm disappointed that it isn't going to travel a console pricing exemplary wherever it's subsidized by the information that the shaper is going to beryllium taking 30% of each crippled sold connected it implicit the lifespan of this thing, due to the fact that I consciousness that would beryllium a much meaningful product,’ they benignant of asked what I meant by, well, ‘what bash you mean by console price?’ And I said, ‘Well, $500.’

“Nobody said anything, but the vigor of the country wasn't great.”

It is highly improbable that Steam Machine volition outgo $500, then. But is that surprising? When we asked Valve hardware technologist Yazan Aldehayyat astir what the institution was shooting for, helium told america that “[affordability] is conscionable thing we thought astir each clip we made a hardware decision, a diagnostic decision, is to marque definite we support it arsenic approachable, arsenic affordable arsenic possible.”

And portion Linus has suggested Valve won’t payment from a subsidized concern exemplary successful the way, say, Sony does with PlayStation, due to the fact that Steam Machine comes with SteamOS and the immense bulk of users volition usage Steam itself arsenic the storefront from which to bargain their games, Valve tin efficaciously bash the aforesaid thing.

We’ve suggested Steam Machine volition outgo $700-$800. To enactment that into perspective, the basal PS5 with a disc thrust presently costs $549.99, portion the PS5 Digital Edition costs $499.99. The PS5 Pro, meanwhile, costs $749.99. But what bash you think?

We’ve got plentifulness much connected each Valve’s caller hardware announcements, and person a useful roundup truthful you don’t miss a thing. We went hands-on with Steam Machine and Steam Controller, and if you’re wondering astir Steam Deck 2, we asked Valve astir that arsenic well.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].