Valve has officially “launched” the Steam Machine, its attempt at moving the PC into the living room with a console-adjacent form factor, with the review embargo lifted and orders going live this Thursday, June 25th. Oh, and we finally have a price… take a seat, if you can!
In Australia, the Steam Machine will retail starting at $1609, for the base 512GB storage configuration and no included controller. If you want a Steam Controller as well, that’ll bung on an extra $119 for a total of $1728. The 2TB version, which will probably be the preferred capacity for most given how big the typical Steam library can grow, is an eye-watering $2109 without the Steam Controller or $2228 with.
Here’s the complete spec list and those prices again in an easier-to-read format:
Steam Machine specifications
- CPU: Semi-custom AMD Zen 4 6C / 12T
- GPU: Semi-custom AMD RDNA3 28CUs
- 16GB DDR5 + 8GB GDDR6 VRAM
- 2TB NVMe SSD, microSD card slot
- Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Gigabit ethernet
- Integrated Steam Controller wireless adapter
- Small form factor, ~6 inch cube
- SteamOS 3
- Extra faceplates – red fabric and solid walnut
Steam Machine Australian pricing
- 512GB standalone – $1609
- 512GB w/Steam Controller – $1728
- 2TB standalone – $2109
- 2TB w/Steam Controller – $2228
According to IGN, who spoke with Valve engineers as part of their review coverage, the Steam Machine was originally meant to retail at around 35% less than the final, announced price. But, due to the same circumstances surrounding component supply that have also affected the Steam Deck, it’s become what it is today.
Early reviews and benchmarks for the Steam Machine don’t exactly paint its launch in the best light, either, with performance roughly equal or just below the base model PS5 – which launched in 2020 and costs well under the Steam Machine’s entry-level ticket even after multiple price hikes.
If, after all that, you’re interested in picking up the Steam Machine, you have until Thursday to throw your name in the lottery in the hopes of being allowed to purchase one, further highlighting how constrained supply seems to be. You can do that right here.