Valve's Steam Machine is reportedly off to a healthy start despite its premium price

Valve's Steam Machine got more than its share of flak at launch. The primary criticisms were centred around its price, which Valve insists is high due to the ongoing memory crisis. However, the console seems to be selling quite well despite its premium price tag. According to an analysis by Boiling Steam, the SteamOS-powered gaming PC is currently selling between 10,000 and 15,000 units per week, although the estimate is based on publicly available Steam Hardware Survey data rather than official sales figures. Unfortunately, the actual figure is difficult to determine as of now because Valve doesn't share public sales figures for its hardware.

The publication arrived at its estimate by tracking the growing share of SteamOS users following the Steam Machine's launch and comparing changes in the Steam Hardware Survey over time. While the methodology cannot provide an exact shipment count, it offers one of the first attempts to gauge sales of Valve's latest hardware in the absence of official numbers. Valve has yet to disclose how many Steam Machines it has sold.

If the estimate is accurate, the company would be shipping roughly 50,000 to 60,000 units each month. Those figures are rounding errors compared to mainstream consoles, but the Steam Machine isn't competing with the PS5, Xbox Series S|X or Nintendo Switch 2. Furthermore, initial sales are likely to be tepid because the Steam Machine is currently available only through a reservation system, suggesting that supply, rather than demand, may be the limiting factor. Sales figures might not be impressive because Valve previously acknowledged that higher component costs and memory shortages forced it to scale back initial production plans.

The Steam Machine seems to be mirroring the Steam Deck in sales

Lastly, the Steam Machine may be tracking surprisingly close to the original Steam Deck's early launch pace. Valve never disclosed official sales figures for the handheld either, but estimates based on Steam Hardware Survey data extrapolated by Ars Technica suggested roughly 77,000 Steam Decks had been sold by the end of May 2022, around three months after launch. At the Steam Machine's estimated sales rate of 10,000 to 15,000 units per week, the new console could reach a similar cumulative figure within its first couple of months, despite carrying a significantly higher starting price and targeting a much smaller audience.

For now, the reported sales pace should be treated as an informed estimate rather than a confirmed figure. Nevertheless, if Valve is indeed shipping between 10,000 and 15,000 Steam Machines each week, the device appears to be carving out a healthy niche among enthusiasts looking for a compact, console-like PC gaming experience despite its four-figure asking price. Besides, if a Steam Machine doesn't pique your interest, there are a dozen-odd spin-offs you can pick from, because a lot of OEMs have their own takes on Valve's PC-console hybrid.