Rumor: The Steam Machine Will Be Priced ‘Like a PC,’ Not a Console

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I’ve been following the news about the new Steam Machine, and it sounds like it might actually cost about as much as building a PC, according to a recent interview a YouTuber had with Valve. Of course, Valve tried the console thing before, but after how amazing the Steam Deck turned out, everyone’s really excited to see what they do next. We still don’t know a ton about the Steam Machine yet, but if you’re hoping for a budget-friendly console, it sounds like it might be a bit pricey – possibly even more than the current PlayStation or Xbox.

Valve introduced the Steam Machine on November 12th, sparking excitement about its potential to change the console landscape. Previous attempts with Steam Machines didn’t succeed, but Valve’s more recent hardware has been well-received. Gamers thought this new system could compete with Xbox – which is also trying to combine console and PC gaming – by offering a lower price than the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. However, that now appears unlikely.

Linus Tech Tips Says Steam Machine Will Be ‘Competitively Priced’ with PCs, Not Consoles

Tech YouTuber Linus Tech Tips recently shared that Valve described the upcoming Steam Machine as being priced similarly to a comparable PC, not a console. This is important because consoles are usually sold at a lower upfront cost, making up the difference through game sales. While this suggests the Steam Machine might not be as cheap as some hoped – under $500 – PC prices vary so much that it’s still unclear. Valve engineer Yazan Aldehayyat claims the Steam Machine is more powerful than most Steam users’ current setups. However, the most common graphics card among Steam users is the RTX 3060, which is four years old and considered a mid-range card, so a high price isn’t necessarily guaranteed.

In an interview with IGN, Valve representative Aldehayyat explained that the company aims to make the Steam Machine both easy to use and affordable, hoping it will be accessible to many players. Combined with information shared with Linus Tech Tips, this suggests the Steam Machine will fall in price between today’s game consoles and more powerful PCs. This positioning is especially notable because Xbox President Sarah Bond has stated the next Xbox will be a high-end device, which has concerned some gamers about its potential cost.

Valve announced that the Steam Deck will launch in two versions: one with 512GB of storage and a higher-capacity version with 2TB. The 512GB model is expected to be more affordable, potentially making the Steam Deck accessible to more players. Official pricing details will be released at a later date.

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2025-11-20 18:38