Despite all the hoopla about Valve not being able to count to “3”, the company made us all look like idiots a few weeks ago when it announced three hardware: Steam Machine, a laptop that can be connected to a TV like a console; Steam Frame, Valve's entry into the VR market; and a new Steam Controller.
Of that trio, the Steam Machine is perhaps the most fascinating reveal. After all, one of the biggest things console gaming has going for it is the ability to plug the hardware into your TV and start playing.
Even more fascinating than the premise of being able to take your Steam library and play it on your big screen TV is how much it will all cost. Computers, at least good ones, aren't cheap, and the Steam Machine is apparently 70 percent more powerful than anything current Steam users currently use.
If the steam engine doesn't start with a new half-life, I'll eat my hat
Valve has the perfect opportunity to launch a new Half-Life game with the upcoming Steam Machine.
In a recent interview, Valve echoed as much, suggesting that you'll need to pull out your wallet and cough up some cash to get a Steam Machine whenever pre-orders open.
Shut up and take my money… Maybe
In a new episode of The Friends Per Second Podcast with Jake Baldino and SkillUp, Valve's Lawrence Yang and Pierre-Loup Griffais were asked directly about the pricing strategy behind Valve's shiny new technology, with Griffais offering some insight into what's to come.
“I think if you build a computer out of parts and get to basically the same level of performance, that's the general price window we're aiming to be in,” he said. “Ideally, we'd be pretty competitive with it and have a pretty good deal, but we're working on refining it as we speak. And right now, it's just hard to have a really good idea of what the price is going to be because there's a lot of different things. A lot of external things.”
In other words, it doesn't sound like Valve will take a loss on the hardware, similar to what Sony is doing with its new Japan-only PlayStation 5, or what console makers have historically committed to getting people in the door.
“No, it's more in line with what you would expect from the current PC market,” Griffais said when asked if Valve would potentially take a loss on the machine.
These words echo what Linus Tech Tips shared in a separate video about the Steam Machine being more expensive than what we've come to expect from consoles, only these words come officially from Valve themselves. All that is to say: prepare your wallets, folks.
- Stamp
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Valve
- Operating system
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SteamOS 3 (Ark-based)
- Processor
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Semi-custom AMD Zen 4 6C / 12T up to 4.8 GHz, 30W TDP
- Resolution
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Up to 4K @ 240Hz or 8K @ 60Hz
- HDR support
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Yes
- Original release date
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2026
It's been a whole year and the PS5 Pro has yet to prove itself
Is the PS5 Pro worth buying right now? Let's take a look and find out.
