Despite all the nonsense about Valve not being able to count to “3”, the company made us fools a few weeks ago when they announced three hardware pieces: Steam Machine, a portable computer that can be connected to a TV as a console; Steam Frame, Valve's entry into the VR market; and the new Steam Controller.
Of the trio, the Steam Machine is perhaps the most fascinating revelation. After all, one of the greatest things about console gaming is being able to plug the hardware into your TV and start playing.
Even more fascinating than the prospect of being able to take your Steam library and play it on your big screen is how much it will all cost. Computers, at least good ones, don't come cheap, and the Steam Machine is apparently 70 percent more powerful than anything current Steam users are currently using.
If the steam engine doesn't start with the 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 new interview, Valve reiterated this, 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 Baldin and SkillUp, Valve's Lawrence Yang and Pierre-Loup Griffais were asked directly about the pricing strategy behind Valve's brand new piece of technology, with Griffais offering some insight into what to expect.
“I think if you build a PC out of parts and get to basically the same level of performance, that's the general price window we're trying to hit,” he said. “Ideally, we'd be pretty competitive with it and have a pretty good business, but we're working on improving it as we speak. And right now, it's hard to have a really good idea of the price because there's a lot of different things. A lot of external things.”
In other words, it doesn't sound like Valve is taking a loss on hardware, much like Sony is doing with its new Japanese PlayStation 5, or what console makers have historically done to get people in the door.
“No, it's more in line with what you might expect from the current PC market,” Griffais said when asked if Valve would potentially take a loss on PC.
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 officially come from Valve themselves. All that to say: get your wallets ready, people.
- Mark
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Valve
- Operating system
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SteamOS 3 (based on the architecture)
- 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 @ 240 Hz or 8K @ 60 Hz
- 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 still hasn't proven itself
Is the PS5 Pro worth buying now? Let's take a look and find out.
