Steam Machine Price Update Draws Industry Criticism

Steam Machine Price Update Draws Industry Criticism By  Austin King Published 13 minutes ago Austin King is the Senior Editor of Gaming at ScreenRant and has been with the site since 2020 with a focus on RPGs and tabletop games. He previously managed content for Geek to Geek Media, and has served as a writer for sites like Nintendad, Geek Fitness, and more. In addition to his work at ScreenRant, he also hosts the Dragon Quest FM podcast and is the author of several books, including co-writing Nimbus (a #1 bestseller in 2013). His latest is the nonfiction The Dragon Quest Book, available now. He's written about pop culture, video games, and genre studies over the course of his career. You can find him on BlueSky, X, and at Dragonquestaustin.com Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Valve's upcoming Steam Machine looks like it may set the current console market ablaze. Between its excessive Steam library and launch plans, excitement is understandably high, but a dev's recent comments on the Steam Machine's price may cause a few folks to do a double-take.

Valve has reportedly said that the new Steam Machine will be "more in line with what you might expect from the current PC market," rather than priced closer to a console. In other words — expect to pay more than $500 or $600 for the new Steam Machine when it finally arrives. And while no concrete price tag has been listed yet, this news on the Steam Machine's price has sparked a bit of criticism from inside gaming's own industry.

The Steam Machine's Price Is A Major Talking Point

The price of the Steam Machine has already been a major talking point, both between prospective buyers and devs. Leaks regarding the Steam Machine have only added fuel to the fire, and until Valve releases an official price, that's likely to continue. Still, pricing the Steam Machine like a PC instead of a console comes with some big implications.

Currently, the PS Pro costs $750 MSRP, so this is assuming the Steam Machine is even higher than that. Depending on the specifications of a gaming PC, the cost could be well over $1000. The issue, then, is whether Valve will sell its new console at a loss, in order to gain a larger audience and make a profit from games and accessory sales, or simply sell the Steam Machine for a profit and hope for the best.

Dev Says Valve's Decision Is "Peculiar"

It's the kind of idea that has gotten the attention of at least one notable person from within the industry. Baldur's Gate 3 publishing lead Michael Douse questioned this kind of approach via X. Although, he did admit, "It isn't stupid to not sell things at a loss, just peculiar in this case." The full post can be read below:

This gets to the crux of the matter. If Valve sells the Steam Machine for a PC price, then it risks alienating a core part of the gaming audience that isn't used to spending that much money on a console. It risks making the Steam Machine dead on arrival.

Of course, there's always the chance people will buy it anyway. Excitement is high for the Steam Machine, after all, and there are lots of people who buy PCs for gaming. Until Valve releases an official price, though, it's hard to say whether the company's reported strategy is a good idea or not. "Peculiar" is actually a great word for it.

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