YouTuber shares insights into belief why Valve Steam Machine pricing could be just $50 shy of the PlayStation 5 Pro
The price of Valve’s long-awaited return to the Steam Machine platform remains a mystery. For the time being, the company has only dropped a few cryptic hints, full details of which we have covered separately. Nonetheless, those with their ears close to sources familiar with the matter have been offering up suggestions in the meantime.
For instance, Valve was said to have quickly dismissed the idea of the Steam Machine retailing for $500. Now, Linus Sebastian has weighed in on how much Valve’s gaming desktop will cost when it hits shelves next year. Discussed as part of a wider Linus Tech Tips video embedded below, Sebastian believes that the limited markup currently available to PC manufacturers may leave Valve needing to price the Steam Machine at $699 to achieve any profit whatsoever.
Typically, Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony subsidise console prices by assuming accessories, games and services will make up the difference. With Valve wanting to run its hardware division as a sustainable business, Sebastian considers it improbable that Valve will get anywhere near a circa $600 launch price, at least initially. In other words, the Steam Machine may come up just short of the PlayStation 5 Pro (curr. $648.99 on Amazon) despite offering vastly inferior performance.
Undoubtedly, the Steam Machine at $699 does not seem like a great proposition despite the inherent flexibility that running SteamOS provides. However, Sebastian and his team warn that current PC part prices would see an equivalent DIY system exceeding $800. As a result, the Steam Machine may end up being a reasonable buy at $699 next year, particularly given the trajectory of memory prices as we head into 2026.
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