Valve revealed its price for the Steam Machine at the top of this week, and it was higher than players would've liked. The $1,049 price tag was also higher than what Valve would've liked too, as we've learned from subsequent interviews that it was supposed to be priced closer to $718. But if the component crisis that painted Valve (and every other platform manufacturer) into a price-raising corner were to end tomorrow, would Valve lower the Steam Machine's price? The answer, thankfully, seems to be a clear 'Yes,' but that doesn't mean you should hold out hope for it happening.
Speaking to Digital Foundry, engineers Pierre-Loup Griffais and Yazan Aldehayyat were asked what Valve would do once component prices go down, and even though we can't hold our breath about it happening anytime soon, it's nice to hear that a price decrease is on the table. if only because this gives players something to point to if Valve were to drag its feet on lowering the price if/when component costs do go down.
"There's no point for us to keep hardware at a high price," Griffais began. "It's meant to be an enabler of a stronger connection between people and their games, and not something that we're trying to sell to people for other reasons...[For us], the cheaper the better."
Before you start daydreaming about a cheaper Steam Machine though, Aldehayyat's comments are a realistic grounding. "It's obviously hard to predict the future," Aldehayyat added, "but we're not optimistic it's going to happen any time soon. Other people in this industry have said as much."
A point well made, particularly in the wake of Micron locking in 16 of its memory buying clients into five-year deals, and Lenovo warning that we shouldn't expect costs to start going down until 2030, and even then, they likely won't be anywhere close to what they were pre-2025.
"Obviously, we would love to be able to make the Steam Machine more affordable and reach more people," Aldehayyat continued. "But I don't want to promise to people that it's coming soon. I wouldn't say this is something that's going to resolve very soon."
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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