The base version of Steam Machine was priced by Valve at $1049, while the top configuration costs $1428. Despite the high price, some experts admitted that they expected an even higher price tag amid the ongoing increase in component costs.
Circana Senior Director Mat Piscatella noted that the current price seems quite reasonable given the situation in the component market. In turn, Ampere Analysis analyst Piers Harding-Rolls, representatives of Newzoo, and other experts agree that the cost of gaming devices will continue to rise.
According to analyst Emmanuel Rozier, the price of Steam Machine reflects real production costs, not a marketing strategy. He reminded that Valve initially planned to release the device in the $700–$800 range, but rising prices for memory and storage made such plans impossible.
Joost van Dreunen, head of the consulting company Aldora, believes that new consoles from Sony and Xbox may not be released until 2028, and the starting price of the devices will exceed $1000. In his opinion, current trends in the component market make such a scenario very likely.
However, not all experts are so pessimistic. Harding-Rolls noted that Sony and Microsoft have much larger production scales and more favorable contracts with suppliers than Valve. This will allow the companies to partially offset rising costs and keep prices at a more acceptable level.
Rozier also reminded that the cost of the PlayStation 5 Pro has already reached $899 after several price increases over the past year. According to him, manufacturers will likely try to keep the base models of new consoles below the psychological mark of $999, but premium versions may well cross this threshold.