Valve has priced its Steam Machine and opened a signup window — but most buyers will end up on a waitlist.
The Steam Machine comes in four configurations: a 512 GB model at $1,049, a 2 TB model at $1,349, and both with an optional Steam Controller bundled in for $79 extra — cheaper than the $99 standalone price. The 2 TB versions also include two magnetic faceplates in red fabric and walnut. Reservations are open now through June 25 at 10 a.m. Pacific, after which Valve will randomize the queue and notify buyers of their status. Valve hopes to fulfill reservations by year-end, but waitlisted customers could be looking at 2027 or later.
The prices are higher than Valve originally planned, and the company is unusually candid about why. "Over the past year or so, that has changed quickly and significantly, most visibly for RAM and storage components," Valve says. Some parts became unavailable altogether "at any price." The locked-in component prices reflect what Valve secured over the past six months — a distinction worth noting, because manufacturers have already warned of further cost increases as current stockpiles run dry. Valve also declined to subsidize the price with Steam revenue, arguing that selling hardware below cost is how closed platforms get built.
Valve's pricing logic is principled but leaves a trapdoor open: it already raised Steam Deck prices citing component costs and logistical challenges, and nothing in this announcement rules out the same move for the Steam Machine if the memory market worsens through the rest of the year.