Valve says rising component costs made its original Steam Machine pricing goal “no longer viable,” while arguing that selling hardware at a loss would go against the open nature of PC gaming.

80lv's platform is a resource for game developers and 3D artists, offering insights into game development techniques, industry trends, and visual effects (VFX). Through articles, interviews, and case studies, 80lv offers insights into 3D modeling, texturing, animation, and rendering. Developers and artists can learn about game engines, shader programming, and advanced rendering techniques to create immersive and visually stunning games and animations.

80 LEVEL

Valve has explained why the new Steam Machine starts at $1,049, citing rising component costs for RAM and storage that made their original pricing goal unviable. The company also addressed supply constraints that limited launch unit availability. Philosophically, Valve defended its decision not to subsidize the hardware at a loss, arguing that selling below cost to recoup through software or a closed ecosystem goes against the open nature of PC gaming. The result is a device more expensive than Valve originally intended.

Valve Explains Why the Steam Machine is So Expensive

It’s not expensive for what it offers. Again, looking at only the specs is like judging a car only by its tires and nothing else.

It is not a console and it never was supposed to be.
It is a living room PC with the highest WAF possible, optimized for instant play and compatibility with TV sets, …
Sure the price tag is high, but the hardware market is totally fucked these days, so I completely agree with their decisions.

Because everything that Valve does is expensive 😁

I really don’t understand all the hate Valve is getting over the Steam Machine. They have been very open about the costs. They have neither incentive or reason to tell the hardware at a loss. Price wise, it is still competitive given the state of hardware in the market.

oh how i wish they had a 32GB DDR5 model. Then again, the 64GB DDR5 i got last year for 155€ is now 700€