Update []: While we still don’t have official pricing for Valve’s Steam Machine, we’re starting to get a clearer picture about how much it’s going to cost. And it sounds like it won’t be competing with the more powerful PS5.
In an interview with Skill Up, Valve developer Pierre-Loup Griffais explained that the company won’t be subsidising the new console-like hardware, and fans should expect it to be priced similarly to an equivalent PC.
He said:
“I think that if you build a PC from parts and get to basically the same level of performance that’s the general price we aim to be at. We’d like to be competitive with that and have a pretty good deal, but we’re working on refining that. Right now, is not a good time to have a good idea of what the price is going to be because there’s a lot of external things going on. [So no, it’s not going to be subsidised], it’s more in line with what you can expect from the current PC market.”
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Of course, it’s still difficult to predict exactly how much that will be. Estimates range anywhere from $500 to $750 and beyond.
What’s becoming increasingly clear here, however, is that Steam Machine will not be encroaching on PS5’s territory at all, and will be servicing a different segment of the market entirely.
Original Story: We don’t know the price of Valve’s new Steam Machine and that means it’s difficult to determine just how competitive it’ll be against the PS5.
But a report that’s doing the rounds via Linus Tech Tips suggests the new console-like hardware won’t necessarily be going head-to-head with Sony’s system when it comes to affordability.
As part of a story shared by Dexerto, the YouTuber noted bad “energy” during a recent preview session when he alluded to the upcoming device having a “console price”.
“They asked what I meant by console price and I said $500,” he said on the WAN Show, following his meeting with Valve. “Nobody said anything, but the energy in the room wasn’t great.”
It’s far from a confirmation of anything, of course: vibes are not announcements and Valve’s staff may just be playing their best poker face.
But considering the Steam Machine is weaker than the PS5, its overall value proposition would have to be questioned if it ends up costing more than Sony’s console.
Of course, there are still advantages to the appliance, such as its open nature and access to Steam’s cavernous library – but as Linus Tech Tips himself points out, we think it’ll be a tough sell if it costs upwards of $600.
To be fair, Valve is probably not targeting the mass market with this product anyway, so it may not matter all that much in the grand scheme of things. But it’s going to have to price the hardware eventually, so it’s going to be interesting to see just how much it costs.