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Now that we know how much Valve is charging for its Steam Machine, a console-PC hybrid with a convenient little cube-shaped body, plenty of folks are wondering why it's so pricey – but it turns out its $1,049 price tag might not have always been the plan.
In fact, it all likely boils down to the global RAM shortages and what have you – basically, the hardware situation that's pushing prices everywhere in PC gaming right now.
According to IGN, Valve engineers Pierre-Loup Griffais and Yazan Aldehayyat implied that the Steam Machine has essentially seen a price increase comparable to that of the Steam Deck's recent price changes. They said it'd be "probably similar," to be precise.
The Steam Deck's own price saw an increase of about 35-36% above its original $549 cost, as IGN notes, bringing it up to $789. When you apply this same sort of percentage-based increase – 33% or so – to the Steam Machine, you get $749… a good $300 less than the current $1,049 asking price.
That's a pretty significant jump, to be fair, but it's not exactly unheard of right now. And no, I don't just mean over at Valve.
Earlier this year, Sony increased the price of PS5 consoles, citing it as "a necessary step to ensure we can continue delivering innovative, high-quality gaming experiences to players worldwide."
The Nintendo Switch 2 price hike from last month comes to mind here, too, as the handheld platform's company described "various changes in market conditions" leading to the rise in its cost. In other words, it's rough out here all around.
Understandably, consumers aren't thrilled with the Steam Machine's $1,049 price – RAM shortages and changing market or not. A quick look at discussions over on Twitter shows as much, with people chatting about the console-PC hybrid's specs and hardware, stating they "would appreciate the Steam Machine being cheaper."
That certainly makes sense, although I do wonder if these higher prices will just be the norm from here on out.
It's sadly starting to look that way… but I'll reserve my own opinion on the Steam Machine's hefty price until it's sitting on my desk and I've had a go at actually using it. For now, though, I definitely understand some folks' disappointment.
