Scraps of the Machine

The Steam Machine is Valve's new piece of hardware entering the scene as a mini PC built for living room gaming. I love a lot about it, had some issues with it, but overall came away from my time with it feeling very positive. The big question mark has been around the Steam Machine price. After the Steam Deck had a jump in price, we knew that would be a major factor in who to recommend this to for PC gaming. The Steam Machine specs in coordination with how well it works with the Steam Controller being still make this an appealing PC rig to consider.

A wonderful design can't beat the ugly realities of pricing, performance, and consumer value.

Grand Theft Auto 6 isn't coming out on PC right away, but when it inevitably does, it should run on the Steam Machine, albeit at lower settings.

After months of speculation, the Steam Machine is finally here, starting at $1049 for the 512GB version. If that price is still within your budget, you can reserve it now on Steam. That $1049 is just the starting price, getting you just the 512GB version of the mini gaming PC without the Steam Controller. If you do want to add the Steam Controller, there is a bundle for $1128, which means you're getting Valve's controller for $79, rather than the $99 it'll cost you by itself. If 512GB of storage isn't enough for you, Valve is also selling a 2TB model, which will set you back $1

The Steam Machine is buyable at last! And it sure costs a pretty penny, as is probably to be expected here in the year of our lord and/or dark lord 2026. We've written a full user-focused review of the Steam Machine separately thanks to yours truly, but also it's important to confess something: I am not a technical expert, and nor will I ever be. Read more