VALVE ANNOUNCES STEAM MACHINE AT $1,049 FOR JUNE RELEASE

Valve has announced that its Steam Machine TV-friendly gaming PC will launch on 29 June at a starting price of $1,049, with sales operating on a reservation basis. The device will be offered in two configurations: a 512GB model at $1,049 and a 2TB variant at $1,349. A Steam Controller may be purchased separately for an additional $79, whilst the 2TB model includes exclusive faceplates featuring red fabric and walnut finishes.

The Steam Machine runs SteamOS, a Linux-based operating system also used on the Steam Deck. The hardware utilises a custom six-core AMD Zen 4 processor with a peak clock speed of 4.8GHz, paired with an integrated AMD RDNA3 GPU featuring 28 compute units and 8GB of dedicated DDR6 VRAM. The system includes 16GB of DDR5 memory on the motherboard, designed to enable moderately demanding PC games to run on televisions through upscaling technology.

According to Valve, the original vision for the Steam Machine would have cost considerably less when the company began sourcing components in 2023, but this plan is "no longer viable" in 2026 due to rising component costs. The pricing reflects broader industry trends, as Sony increased the base PS5 to $600 and the Pro model to $900, Nintendo raised the Switch 2 from $450 to $500, and major PC manufacturers including Dell, Lenovo and HP have raised prices to offset component expenses. Valve itself raised the price of the Steam Deck handheld by over $200 in recent months.