Valve’s Steam Machine is set for an early 2026 launch after its November 2025 reveal, and questions remain regarding its potential price. However, a recent discovery could give us an idea of what to expect.
A Czech retailer’s pricing for the Steam Machine has surfaced online, suggesting $950 for the 512GB model and $1,070 for the 2TB model, spotted on Reddit (by a user named Pajman64).
This may be enough to give hope that the steam engine will not be as expensive as most expected; a slightly lower price than the rumored $950 and $1,070 would put it in roughly the same range as the PS5 Pro, which many (including me) might consider a big win.
However, we can’t forget that there is currently a major RAM crisis affecting the PC gaming market, which has seen the price of RAM kits (and even GPUs) skyrocket, and I would be shocked if this didn’t have a significant impact on the price of the Steam Machine.
Fortunately, Valve has been generous with pricing in the past, especially with the Steam Deck, selling at a loss. While I’m sure this would have been possible with the Steam Machine before, this RAM issue likely changed Valve’s entire plan, and I suspect that’s why the company has been so quiet on pricing so far.
Frankly, the announced price would be a big (although welcome) surprise, as I was expecting it to cost upwards of $1,070 just for the 512GB model.
I’m still very concerned about prices
The current RAM crisis couldn’t have come at a worse time, as this is Valve’s second attempt to bring PC gaming into the console space, and it could very well be marred by the AI bubble, leading to higher memory demand.
Only 8GB of VRAM will be available on the Steam Machine, which has already been a point of contention among consumers. With my recent MSI Katana 15HX B14W gaming laptop review, I can say that these concerns are not unwarranted, as 8GB is not yet obsolete, but is likely to become so as the system requirements for modern gaming increase.
Unfortunately, there are no USB 4 or Thunderbolt ports on the Steam Machine either, so there’s no room to use an eGPU for more GPU power. All of these factors could end up being major mistakes if the price of the steam engine is exorbitant, and I’m already preparing for it to be so.
I’m actively hoping that the rumors about Czech retailer pricing have some legitimacy, as that would likely mean Valve’s official pricing will be cheaper, but I’m not afraid to admit that it’s wishful thinking.
