Steam Machine cost 'revealed' - and it's nowhere near what you think

Tech experts have 'revealed' how much the Steam Machine will cost by recreating the console using parts and features that mirror it.

It's not officially known how much Valve's upcoming console will retail for - there are those who are speculating it could cost $500 or less, others claiming it could be in excess of $1,000 and loads saying it will be somewhere in between.

Recently, in an interview with Skill Up, Valve software engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais said: "I think that 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."

Linus Sebastian from Linus Tech Tips said in a recent video he visited Valve to check out the Steam Machine and the company was "shockingly open about the specs, features and design".

So with the recent comments from Griffais in mind, the team at Linus Tech Tips built a PC using parts and specs known from the Steam Machine, as well as "reading between the lines" on other things to plug the gaps.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

The machine Linus Tech Tips put together using identical, or as close as possible, parts and features to the Steam Machine cost $602 at its lowest historical price but could retail up to $910 when taking inflated component prices into account.

$813 was estimated as the cost with lesser brands used but Linus Tech Tips said they did overpay on some components compared to what Valve would pay for them.

Sebastian predicts the console will actually retail for $699 "if there are no major changes in the market", explaining that figure is above what it would cost Valve to manufacture each unit.

People have been commenting on the video with their thoughts on this.

One said: "I think $699 is a solid price. Maybe offering a console-only (no controller) variant for $649 could also be an option, since it'll support any existing controllers."

"You can't blame Valve for hesitating about the price with that kind of variation in part prices," a second commented.

And a third added: "Anyone expecting an $400-$500 machine, not happening. Don't be fooled by the form factor, it's indeed a PC. I'm estimating around $700-$800."

To be clear, the price of the Steam Machine is officially unknown at present.

Elsewhere from indy100:

• Steam Machine console announced to rival PS5 and Xbox - and fans are loving it
• Steam Deck 2 release date 'revealed' - and gamers are totally divided

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