Valve's Steam Machine Could Be Priced Above 'Console Pricing Model' of $500

Valve revealed the Steam Machine, a PC/console hybrid, last week, alongside a family of new Steam hardware that includes a controller and a VR headset. The Steam Machine is set to launch in early 2026 (as are the next-gen Steam controller and Steam Frame headset), but Valve did not reveal pricing for the gaming system. But it seems the Steam Machine could be priced over $500, the price at which PS5 physical edition and Xbox Series X launched in 2020.

There has been a lot of speculation over the Steam Machine's price since it was announced on November 12. Valve will likely share the pricing closer to launch in early 2026. However, considering the hardware specifications of the Steam Machine (it is said to be a bit less powerful than the PS5 and Xbox Series X), many expect the PC/console hybrid to be priced around $500 — a standard pricing for home consoles.

Steam Machine Pricing

That may not be the case. In the latest episode of the WAN show, popular tech YouTuber Linus Sebastian of Linus Tech Tips suggested that Valve could be looking to price the Steam Machine above $500 (roughly Rs. 44,400).

“I can't tell you what the price will be because I literally don't know, but when I said, ‘I'm disappointed that it isn't going to follow a console pricing model where it's subsidized by the fact that the manufacturer is going to be taking 30 percent of every game sold on it over the lifespan of this thing, because I feel that would be a more meaningful product,' they kind of asked what I meant by, well, ‘what do you mean by console price?' And I said, ‘Well, $500,' Linus said. “Nobody said anything, but the energy of the room wasn't great.”

While that doesn't indicate a possible price range for the Steam Machine, it does suggest that Valve could be looking to price the PC/console hybrid above $500. Now that could be $550 (which is the price of the disc version of the PS5 in the US right now) or $600 or $650 (the current price of the disc version of the Xbox Series X in the US), or it could be higher.

But it's worth noting that both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X launched at $499.99 in the US before subsequent price hikes. And while the Steam Machine comes with comparable hardware, it is also functionally different from the two home consoles. Steam Machine is also a PC. It runs SteamOS out of the box, but players can install Windows on it and use it as a PC if they want. Now, Valve might price the device higher for the utility it offers as a more open platform.

Prevailing macroeconomic factors have also seen the price of consoles and other gaming hardware rise. Nintendo launched Switch 2 in June at $450 in the US — a considerably higher price point than the original Switch. Meanwhile, new Windows-based gaming handhelds have gone past the $1,000 mark. Both Sony and Microsoft have hiked the price of their home consoles, as well.