The Steam Machine will not be a loss-leading console giveaway. Pierre-Loup Griffais, a Valve coder, told the Friends Per Second podcast that Valve intends the Steam Machine to cost roughly what a comparably performing PC would cost if you built it from parts. “If you build a PC from parts and get to basically the same level of performance, that’s the general price window that we aim to be at,“ Griffais said.
Griffais was careful to push back against the idea of a console-style subsidy. He said Valve wants the device to be competitive with a DIY build while also offering convenience and small-form-factor features that are harder to assemble at home. He added “Ideally, we’d be pretty competitive with that and have a pretty good deal, but we’re working on refining that as we speak. Right now is just a hard time to have a really good idea of what the price is gonna be.“
He highlighted practical living-room niceties that Valve thinks justify some of the cost. “Being able to sit down on your couch, press one button on your controller and the whole thing lights up like you’d expect for a thing that’s in your living room, I think that’s very valuable,“ Griffais said, pointing to the Steam Machine’s small size, TV remote integration, controller power-on, and low noise as examples of value that do not exist in the current PC market.
That positioning has a practical effect. If Valve prices the Steam Machine near a matched DIY build, buyers will be weighing convenience and living-room polish against raw bang for buck. That tradeoff is central to the device’s appeal, and it is what will decide whether the Steam Machine is an easy purchase for people who want PC gaming without the tinkering. For deeper context on Valve’s announcement and how the machine stacks up against typical midrange PCs, see our earlier coverage of the Steam Machine.
Watch the full Friends Per Second podcast episode below:
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