Insider says $599 Steam Machine price was possible if Valve managed memory shortage

The intimidating Steam Machine price has made some gamers wonder whether Valve should postpone its launch. Now, a hardware insider argues that a $599 target was realistic with an earlier release date. On a recent podcast, Moore’s Law Is Dead slammed the company for its response to the memory shortage.

Moore’s Law Is Dead has a reputation for leaks and tracking component costs. He believes that Valve had an opportunity to stockpile parts before the crisis deepened. Its engineers have admitted to the lack of fixed, long-term contracts with DRAM giants like Micron. Yet MLID noted that some AI companies invaded retailers including Micro Center before memory prices peaked.

That strategy wouldn’t have yielded an unlimited supply of units. Regardless, the YouTuber thinks that Valve could have achieved a lower Steam Machine price and stocked around 5,000 systems in December. While not competing with consoles like the PS5, a “beta soft launch” would have avoided disappointing reviews.

MLID then suggested that, as the shortage intensified, the company could have sporadically shipped a collector’s edition at a higher cost. A cheaper barebones configuration without RAM and SSDs was another option. SteamOS could establish itself in living rooms with upgrades like FSR 4.1, promising to boost performance.

Doubts about future Valve hardware

The insider made harsh comments about the PC marketplace’s ability to produce hardware. He suspects that Valve thought it was immune to bad press. Starting at the top, the content creator says that Gabe Newell “doesn't really care about Steam anymore.” Once firing those responsible, someone experienced in product launches should be hired.

Given that its revenue is largely dependent on game sales, Newell’s enterprise is in no danger. Still, MLID labels the decision to wait 3 months for storage and memory prices to stabilize a major blunder. He worries that it will repeat the same mistakes with the Steam Deck 2. After learning that the Steam Machine's performance and specs may not justify its cost, buyers are also anxious about the incoming Frame VR headset.