Valve’s Steam Machine Pre-Orders Open at $1049, but the Memory and Storage Crisis Pushed Prices Far Higher Than Hoped

Alessio Palumbo
A gaming console, Valve's Steam Machine, and controller with a Steam logo are displayed against a neutral background.
Valve’s Steam Machine pre-orders start at $1,049, with Valve admitting the severe impact of the memory and storage crisis on prices.

Valve has just kicked off pre-orders for its long-awaited Steam Machine, offering four options: two with 512GB of storage and two with 2TB, with one of each pair bundling a Steam Controller.

The prices are indeed quite high, as feared following the storage and memory crisis. The basic Steam Machine (512GB, no controller) costs $1049, while adding a controller to it makes it $1128. The base 2TB version costs $1349, while the 2TB Steam Machine with a controller will set you back $1428. The 2TB versions also include two extra faceplates in red fabric and solid walnut colors.

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SKUPriceSpecs
Steam Machine 512GB$1049Semi-custom AMD Zen 4 6C / 12T; Semi-custom AMD RDNA3 28 CUs; 16GB DDR5 + 8GB GDDR6 VRAM; 512GB NVMe SSD, microSD card slot; Wi‑Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Gigabit ethernet; integrated Steam Controller wireless adapter; small form factor, ~6-inch cube; SteamOS 3.
Steam Machine 512GB with Controller$1128Semi-custom AMD Zen 4 6C / 12T; Semi-custom AMD RDNA3 28 CUs; 16GB DDR5 + 8GB GDDR6 VRAM; 512GB NVMe SSD, microSD card slot; Wi‑Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Gigabit ethernet; integrated Steam Controller wireless adapter; small form factor, ~6-inch cube; SteamOS 3; bundle includes Steam Controller.
Steam Machine 2TB$1349Semi-custom AMD Zen 4 6C / 12T; Semi-custom AMD RDNA3 28 CUs; 16GB DDR5 + 8GB GDDR6 VRAM; 2TB NVMe SSD, microSD card slot; Wi‑Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Gigabit ethernet; integrated Steam Controller wireless adapter; small form factor, ~6-inch cube; SteamOS 3; extra faceplates: red fabric and solid walnut.
Steam Machine 2TB with Controller$1428Semi-custom AMD Zen 4 6C / 12T; Semi-custom AMD RDNA3 28 CUs; 16GB DDR5 + 8GB GDDR6 VRAM; 2TB NVMe SSD, microSD card slot; Wi‑Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Gigabit ethernet; integrated Steam Controller wireless adapter; small form factor, ~6-inch cube; SteamOS 3; extra faceplates: red fabric and solid walnut; bundle includes Steam Controller.

Valve has also implemented a "controlled reservation system" that spaces buyers out in a queue, limits duplicate grabs, and gives selected accounts a short window to complete the purchase. The goal is to keep the launch orderly and reduce the kind of scalper chaos that tends to hit popular hardware on day one.

The process begins with a sign-up period. During that window, eligible Steam users (accounts in good standing that have made at least one Steam purchase before April 27, 2026) can join reservation lists for specific Steam Machine SKUs, and Valve says the lists are split by model and region. When the sign-up window closes on Thursday, June 25th, at 10 AM Pacific Time, Valve randomizes the queue rather than rewarding whoever clicks fastest.

The system is also trying to block duplicate household attempts, using account and purchase-related checks so the same person cannot stack the odds by entering multiple times through different profiles or payment setups. If an account is placed in a reservation slot, Valve sends an email and gives the buyer 72 hours to complete the purchase. Miss that deadline, and the spot moves down the line to the next person in the queue. If someone signs up too late to get into the initial pool, they are not shut out entirely; they are instead placed into a waitlist, which means they can still be called later if stock opens up or other buyers drop out.

There is also a model-selection wrinkle that makes the system a little smarter than a simple lottery. Users can join the list for up to four models, but if they are eligible for more than one, Valve appears to prioritize the highest-end model they signed up for and remove the others from the list.

Now that pricing is official, do you plan to purchase a Steam Machine any time soon?

Do you plan to buy a Steam Machine at these prices?
Alessio Palumbo Photo

About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.

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