Valve’s new Steam Machine costs more than a console while delivering roughly console-shaped performance in a Linux box.
After months of waiting, Valve has said the living-room PC will start at $1,049 and go on sale from 29 June 2026.
According to the Verge punters can now register interest through a reservation system. Valve will randomise the queue on 25 June 2026 at 1pm ET.
The first purchase emails will go out on 29 June 2026. Anyone registering after the randomisation gets dumped at the end of the waitlist.
Valve will sell four configurations. The 512GB model costs $1,049, $1,509 CAD (€1,039), €1,039, £879 (€1,039), $1,609 AUD (€1,039) or 4,389 zlotys (€1,039).
The 512GB model bundled with a Steam Controller costs $1,128, $1,628 CAD (€1,108), €1,108, £938 (€1,108), $1,728 AUD (€1,108) or 4,698 zlotys (€1,108).
The 2TB model costs $1,349, $1,919 CAD (€1,359), €1,359, £1,149 (€1,359), $2,109 AUD (€1,359) or 5,739 zlotys (€1,359).
The 2TB model with a bundled Steam Controller costs $1,428, $2,038 CAD (€1,428), €1,428, £1,208 (€1,428), $2,228 AUD (€1,428) or 6,048 zlotys (€1,428).
The 2TB versions get two swappable faceplates, “red fabric” and “solid walnut”, along with the standard black one. That should please anyone who thinks their console needs to look like a posh speaker.
The pricing strikes us as a little brave given that a digital PS5 costs $599.99, an Xbox Series X costs $649.99 and a PS5 Pro costs $899.99, even after their price rises.
The Steam Machine does not appear to be vastly more powerful than those machines. According to The Verge’s review, its performance is roughly in PS5 territory, nearly six years after Sony’s box first arrived.
Valve’s pitch is that this thing plays the Steam library users may have been hoarding for years. It is not trapped inside a console garden, which is where the value argument starts to make more sense.
It is a full Linux PC, so users can customise it, fiddle with it and eventually blame themselves when something odd breaks.
Valve said it is selling the Steam Machine for the cost of its components rather than subsidising the price. That is noble, practical or a neat excuse for sticker shock, depending on how charitable you feel.
The price had been the biggest question since the hardware was announced. Valve showed off the Steam Machine, the new Steam Controller and the Steam Frame VR headset in late 2025.
At the time, Valve said the new gadgets would start shipping in early 2026. In February 2026, it admitted the memory and storage crunch had forced it to rethink pricing and shipping plans.
In March 2026, Valve said in a blog post that it would be “shipping all three products this year.”
The Steam Controller was released first in May 2026 and turned out rather good. It sold out quickly, which forced Valve to open a reservation queue before scalpers made a fortune.
Valve still has not given specific pricing or release details for Steam Frame. So the headset remains the missing bit of a hardware push.
