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There's been no shortage of speculation surrounding Valve's new Steam Machine since its big announcement, with analysts predicting any price point between the "mid-five hundreds" and $1,000 – but a recent interview reveals it may cost more than expected.
Speaking to Skill Up in a new podcast episode, Valve coder Pierre-Loup Griffais confirms the console-PC mashup that is the Steam Machine will probably be priced more like a computer – a statement that lines up nicely with what a Valve spokesperson previously told YouTuber Linus Sebastian of Linus Tech Tips, "that it will be priced like a PC rather than like a console with games subsidizing the upfront hardware purchase."
Griffais similarly explains, "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. Ideally, we'd be pretty competitive with that and have a pretty good deal, but we're working on refining that as we speak. And right now, it's just a hard time to have a really good idea of what the price is going to be because there's a lot of different things that are fluctuating."
His assertion here makes sense. With constantly shifting graphics card prices and a market that has recently sent the cost of RAM soaring, it's difficult to tell what any build with PC parts could cost on average. When asked whether Valve would subsidize the cost of the Steam Machine to ensure a more competitive price, however, Griffais says that it isn't the company's plan to do so and reiterates that its cost will reflect the PC market.
"No, it's more in line with what you might expect from the current PC market. Obviously, our goal is for it to be a good deal at that level of performance. And then, you have features that are actually really hard to build if you're making your own gaming PC from parts, right?" He cites components like "the small form factor," adding, "and I think the noise level that we achieved or lack thereof is really impressive."
The developer goes on to list other impressive feats Valve has managed with its new Steam Machine that set it apart from consoles and normal PCs, perhaps justifying what could be a high price – one that I'm likely to shamelessly pay come the system's release.
Be sure to browse through our roundup of the most exciting new games coming this year and beyond for some fresh titles to wishlist.
