It seems that the Czech seller missed the price Steam engine by listing it on your site and hiding the price in the source code, and you don't have to be happy about it. There's as much hype surrounding Valve's upcoming Steam PC/console hybrid as there are uncertainties and concerns about its potential price. This is for several reasons:
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Popular YouTuber and tech expert Linus of Linus Tech Tips commented on the price of the Steam Machine, stating that it will likely retail for at least $699 based on its $600 components.
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Since the hardware is a hybrid between PC and console, it has some more expensive components that can make it quite expensive to purchase, especially from third-party sellers if or when Steam runs out of stock.
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There is still a shortage of RAM used in the construction of computers, phones and consoles, which may affect the final price of both the Steam Machine and the Switch 2.
With Valve yet to announce the Steam Machine's release date and its intended price tag, things are now up in the air. Except that the Czech dealer Smarty, which is also an authorized dealer of Valve products in the Czech Republic, may have missed the intended price of the new console.
Say hello to The Steam Machine's $1,000 prize
If the seller has the correct information about the console, it will come in two versions: a 512 GB Steam Machine and one that includes 2 TB of storage. Both are listed on the website with their estimated price hidden in the source code. For the 512 GB version, the alleged price is CZK 19,826, which is basically $950 ($949.76 according to the current exchange rate). The 2TB version is said to be CZK 22,305, which translates to $1,068.51. These Steam Machine prices are said to be before tax, and Smarty usually imposes a 17% markup, meaning the actual prices could be as follows:
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Around $800 for a 512GB Steam Machine
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Around $900 for a 2TB Steam Machine
The exact values would be $810.90 for the former and $913.25 for the latter, which is calculated by dividing the original figure by 1.17, which represents Smarty's 17% margin.
If this is correct, between potential price changes due to the RAM shortage crisis, potential exchange rate fluctuations, and last-minute internal changes at Valve, it's quite likely that the 2TB version of the Steam Machine will cost $1,000 or more, if not a tactical $999 to make it seem cheaper. Whether that's a good price for you to buy new Valve hardware is entirely up to you, but there have been various posts around the internet stating that the console wouldn't be a great buy at over $800 due to its specs.
Is the $1,000 Steam Machine Worth Buying?
The counter-argument to Steam Machine pre-orders is that one could very well get a gaming PC at that point, but between the expensive GPUs for good performance and the increased prices of RAM units that can end up costing a lot more. At the same time, several Steam Machine add-ons will likely not be included in the base price, if the Steam Deck suggests it.
It's worth noting that despite Smarty's self-claimed affiliation with Valve, there's a chance that the price may be inflated compared to the Steam store page's actual MSRP.
However, even if the leaked price is true, Valve's console could end up being one of the best options for those who don't have a full-featured gaming PC or like the idea of Steam games on a console, if not both. It's precisely because of the possible pricing of gaming PCs and even other consoles moving forward that makes the Steam Machine a good, totally average option between Xbox/PlayStation/Nintendo and high-end PCs.
Source: smarty.cz
