TL;DR: Valve’s upcoming Steam Machine, set for release in 2026, aims to combine affordability and ease of use. Recent leaks suggest prices around $950 for a 512GB model and $1,070 for 2TB, comparable to high-end devices, though official pricing remains unconfirmed amid memory supply challenges.
I’m with you on that but the price still seems steep to me. Last I heard Sony makes a profit selling the PS5 Pro($750) and the Steam Machine has worse specs (60cu vs 28cu GPU/ 2TB vs 500GB storage).
Personally I was considering getting a Steam Machine over upgrading my PC just to make my life easier. But, not for that much of a premium.
With the current market, I’m not sure how much you can upgrade your current PC for less than that.
Agreed. While it seems like we’re all still speculating at this point, $1000.00 would be a pill to swallow for couch co-op gaming.
Hopefully if RAM prices drive the price this high, arresting and jailing another batch of RAM producer CEOs can bring prices and the Steam Machine down in price to something reasonable.
I can dream, anyway.
In the meantime, I may still pay the premium just to signal my interest in having a less closed gaming option hooked up to my TV.