Steam Machine Price Drama

追加: 2026-05-24

[00:00:00]The hunt for the Steam Machine's official price is driving people crazy.

[00:00:03]It's turned into a full-on battle. On the one side, you've got the Steam Machine subreddit who have found a comma and a thousands indicator on the Steam database. And on the other side, you've got Moors Law is dead, who is adamant that this thing is going to be between $500 and $700. And in today's video, we're going to try to figure out who's right and who's wrong. How's it going everyone? As always, my name is Jimmy Champagne. This is Deck Ready, my channel all about Steam hardware. I hope you are having a great week playing a ton of video games. I finally finished Replaced after 13 hours. I didn't love it. I ended up just liking it. I'll tell you about it at the end of the video.

[00:00:38]Let me know what you're playing down in the comments below. Also, 70% of the people who watch this channel are not subscribed. So, if you're one of those people and you've been enjoying the videos, help me out by subscribing and setting your notifications to all. But, I think that about covers it for the intro. So, let's put our uh conspiracy theory hats on and try to figure out who's right and who's wrong in the Steam Machine pricing battle. This kind of came up over the weekend, right? Like two big news stories came out with vastly different price predictions for the Steam Machine. And honestly, both have pretty good evidence backing them up. So, on the one side, you've got the Steam Machine subreddit and like just going to be real. I'm not a big Reddit user. I'm not really a fan of it if I'm being real, but the Steam Machine subreddit so far has been really good.

[00:01:19]And like I mentioned, they have a good track record so far. And what they've discovered in the Steam database is a comma related to the pricing of the Steam Machine and the word thousands indicator. You could put two and two together there really and say, well, if they're adding a comma, that signifies at least four digits, aka $1,000. And backing that up, of course, is the thousands indicator. And you know, this obviously generated a lot of news stories over the weekend saying the Steam Machine's going to be $1,000. But if you take a couple seconds to think about it and really look at it, uh there's a lot of possibilities here that don't necessarily signify that. So the first possibility, which I would argue is the worst case, is that the two TBTE bundle with controller would be $1,000.

[00:02:01]And you can kind of see how it could creep up to that level, right? Like the Steam controller itself is $100. And when it comes to these bundles, I think they really only exist to make sure that this stuff ships together. Like if you order them together, you'll get them together instead of getting them separately, which would be a bummer, right? Like you open up your Steam Machine, you got to use a different controller out of the box. That's not a great scenario. So they're not necessarily going to give you a discount. They're just going to make sure they ship together and give you one purchase option, right? So you don't have to add both to your cart when everyone's trying to check out. It just makes the most sense logistically and it's a nice way to think about it. So, if the top tier bundle is $1,000, you remove a hundred bucks, that would make the two terbyte 900. And uh I don't think that's a great price for it. I think it's sellable at 900, but you're immediately cutting off a huge portion of the potential audience, which is, you know, split basically between people who just want an extra PC to put under their TV or put at an extra desk or something like that, aka me, and the person who's looking at this thing as a really exciting opportunity to enter the Steam/PC ecosystem for the first time, aka the same user that adopted all this stuff with the Steam Deck, right? Like we saw how awesome it was having that $400 entry-level unit back in the day and how it got more people onto the Steam platform and involved in PC gaming in the first place. So pricing it at 900 bucks even though it's the top tier isn't really great for that scenario because if you're at 900 for the two TBTE that puts you at 800 for the 512 and that seems extremely high, right?

[00:03:35]Like it's a full 1.5 tab less. But when you're talking about the logistics of shipping and making sure it gets to the warehouse and making sure you get them all made, I feel like there's only going to be a $100 difference because there's only two SKs unlike the original Steam Deck which had three, right? Like you had the 64 gig, the 512, and the 1 TB.

[00:03:54]Now we have the bottom tier with the 512, and the top tier with the two TB.

[00:03:58]So we'll just call it 800 bucks just to be safe. And then you add on the controller, it's 900 and 1,000 respectively. So that's like the worst way, the pessimist way of looking at it.

[00:04:07]But the other way you can look at it is uh looking at the past few months of how RAM prices have been shooting up and then skyrocketing back down and then leveling off and then shooting back up again and shooting down again. Like there's no consistency in the RAM or storage pricing in the world right now.

[00:04:23]So basically what people are assuming Valve could be doing is building in an emergency contingency plan, right? like we know through uh Mike Straw at Insider Gaming they are opening up to the idea of taking a loss on this thing. I'll say it again. I think that's what they need to do at this point. But knowing that it makes sense why they'd want to have a contingency plan in place in case, you know, a big disaster happens where they're taking a loss and then suddenly the RAM and the storage shoot to the absolute freaking moon and they just are forced to raise the price. They want to be able to do that instantly. So you'd build in the ability to do that into the back end so it's an easy toggle, right?

[00:04:59]Like that's honestly more believable to me at this point than it being 8 or $900 or even $1,000 because just looking at the overall parts of this thing, it really does feel like in a normal time a $500 machine. And in not normal times, it feels like something they could easily charge $600 to $700 for. Because I know a lot of people look at this like they want to take on Xbox, they want to take on the Switch 2, they want to take on the PS5. Everything in reality indicates that that's not the case. like they just want to give people a really good entry point into the Steam ecosystem. They want to try to make more hardware. And if they really wanted to go for mass appeal, this thing would be in Best Buy. It'd be in Target. It'd be in Amazon. It'd be available at other storefronts than Steam. And it's just simply not. So, knowing that, that $600 to $700 price point is fair for the market I think they're going for. I know a lot of people look at this as like an opportunity for them to really take it to Sony, take it to Microsoft, take it to Nintendo, and it very well could even at that price, but I don't think that's the intended goal, at least for launch, because if it was, they'd be selling it through other storefronts. Just it's as simple as that really. The fact that they're selling it exclusively through Steam kind of leads me to believe that, you know, they just want to make a cool product for people who are interested in Steam at the start and then down the line once they have this stuff all ironed out and hopefully RAM and storage prices are decreased, they can work on a pro unit, they can work on a sequel, then they can worry about getting it in more storefronts. But right now, it seems like they're just going for the audience who really cares and knowing that a fair price is $600 to $700. So that covers the high-end predictions coming from the Steam Machine subreddit.

[00:06:36]Let's talk about the low-end predictions which are coming from Tom at Moors law is dead. So this was a big tweet going around at the same time as the other tweet. Uh basically it said industry expert Mors law is dead is saying that the Steam Machine will cost 500 bucks.

[00:06:50]That immediately sent up red flags for me. But like I mentioned, I know the guy. So I DM'd him. I was like, "Did you say this? If so, where?" And he hit me back and was like, "I'm pretty sure I did at some point." aka back when the Steam Machine was announced because he did go through the overall cost of parts for Valve and it came out to like 425.

[00:07:08]So you add on 75 bucks, you get to around 500. They might be breaking even or taking a loss at that price point, but it's believable back in November.

[00:07:16]But then he clarified and said, "I stand by $500 to $700. That would be my official quote." So I'm officially quoting him. That's what he said to me in the DMs. And uh 500 bucks, I'm just going to be real as the optimist here, is still off the table. I do not think in any world this thing is going to be $500. And I'm telling you right now, if it does come out and it's $500, I will never be happier to be wrong. I'm just trying to be realistic here. And being realistic, I don't see it hitting 500 bucks or really anywhere close. Do I see it hitting 600 and 700 for the 512 and 2 TB respectively? Hell yeah, I do. That's where I've been from the beginning. Like even when all of this was happening, I was like, "$500 sounds great, but I'm still in that $600 price point because it is a PC. Valve's a smaller company.

[00:08:03]They're only selling it through their storefront. They're not trying to subsidize it." That's what they said back then, but now it looks like they are. All of that taken into account, I still see 600 to 700 as a really safe, fair price point. And especially knowing that they are seemingly willing to take a little bit of a loss on it, I still think it is achievable. And I know the 1.5 terbte difference is a real sticking point for a lot of people out there. I think they want to keep it simple. I think it will be a $100 difference.

[00:08:30]Again, I'm happy to be wrong. Well, I wouldn't be happy to be wrong because it would be 600 for the 512, 750, we'll call it, for the two TBTE, maybe even 800. Regardless, I think it just makes sense in my head to have a $100 price difference. So, even though I uh presented this as two diametrically opposed forces fighting a rigid battle on X, uh it's not that big of a deal if we're being honest, like it's a hundred bucks at the top end. If you're talking about a,000 for the bundle, two TBTE, 900 for the bundle, two TBTE, they're really not that far off. But that $100 really does make a difference. And I still think it's going to sell pretty well, right? Like when the Steam controller got its price of $99, I reported on it. I had a bunch of people in the comments. I had a bunch of people replying to me on X saying, "Oh, it's DOA at 99 bucks." Whereas if you looked at the feature set of it, it was very fair at 99 bucks, right? Like a regular Dual Sense is 75 bucks. Dual Sense Edge is 150. 100 bucks comes in right at the middle and you get all those pro features in a regular controller chassis. It was fair pricing. And that's Valve once again. Fair pricing. They did that on the Steam Deck. They did that on the OLED. Why do we suddenly believe they're going to screw us on the Steam Machine? I don't understand. And another thing that kind of helps them is even if you go through the trouble to build a better PC like I did to run Steam OS, you're going to be paying a lot of money. Like I know the AMD 970 XT is technically a top-end card. You can get it for around 600 bucks. But if you compare that to the equivalent on Nvidia, it's like a 5070 and its best day. It's a 570 Ti. So it's not even close to the topend version of an Nvidia card. So that thing's 600 bucks, which would cover the entire cost of the Steam Machine, right? Like I paid I'm pretty sure close to $15 to $1,700 when it was all said and done for my 970 XT machine, which is a pretty healthy increase in cost over what you're going to get if it's $600 or $700. So, I think it's an okay price. I think people are definitely going to show up for it. And that's all under the assumption that, you know, this thing's not trying to kill the PS5. It's not trying to kill the Series X. It's not trying to kill the Switch 2. It's trying to be a great entry point PC for new people and it's trying to be a good uh extra PC for people who already have a better one.

[00:10:43]And I feel like at that price point, it fits into that niche perfectly. I'm just going to be real with you guys though.

[00:10:49]Even if it is a,000 bucks for the two TBTE, I'm still buying it. I see how this thing's going to fit into my life.

[00:10:55]I'm excited about the SD card slot. I'm excited about the LED bar. I'm excited about the built-in puck. I'm excited about the direct streaming to the Steam frame. Like there's enough here beyond the specs uh to really get me excited.

[00:11:08]And that's coming from someone who's used the Steam Deck for four years. I have better performing handhelds. I have the Xbox ROG Ally X running Steam OS. I have the Legion Go S with the Z1 Extreme running Steam OS. They both provide great performance. I use them for some games like I don't know, The Division 2 or Forza Horizon 5 before 6 came out. If I'm being directly honest with you guys, they both collect dust 99% of the time.

[00:11:32]Like even though the Steam Deck is less powerful and struggles with a lot of games that I would like to play, it's still my favorite place to play games and I don't foresee the Steam Machine really being all that different when it's all said and done. And I I know there's people out there who really want Valve to convince them to ditch PlayStation and Nintendo or whoever else, but that's not their job. If you're excited for it, you got to look at your finances and figure out if the price is fair for you. Who knows? If you wait it out, RAM prices could come down even more. and then they could adjust the price accordingly. But what I think they're really doing, adding in that comma and the thousands indicator is hoping for the best and just uh having a contingency plan in place if the worst does come to pass. So to answer the question at the beginning of the video, who's right, who's wrong, I'm fenceitting big time. I think it's going to be right in the middle. Do I think it's going to be 500? No. Do I think it's going to be a,000? Also no. I think it's going to be perfectly priced for what Valve is able to do at this point in time with the RAM and storage crisis.

[00:12:31]And I think when it's all said and done, people are going to be happy. I mean, who even knows how much it's going to cost? I was going to say Valve, but like they don't even know really. They would have announced it by now if they did.

[00:12:41]So, I think the real thing we all need to do is take a step back, enjoy our Steam controllers, enjoy our Steam Decks, enjoy video games, and just wait it out because eventually this thing will be announced. And just like with the Steam Deck when it got delayed, it was really a big bummer at the time, but now that we have had it for 4 years, it's not even something that people even bring up anymore because once you have it in your hands, all that [ __ ] stuff you dealt with before goes away.

[00:13:05]So, let's round out the video by talking about what I've been playing first.

[00:13:09]Replaced I finished it. Took me around 13 and a half hours. I thought it was pretty good. It could have been great.

[00:13:14]It's just a little too long. like it really feels like it's ending at chapter six and then there's three more chapters and the story itself that it's telling I'm personally burned out on cyberpunk like dystopian stuff. So like it already went in not really hitting for me and then it got pretty good and then it felt like it was ending and then it kept going and I just got bored by the end.

[00:13:33]So overall the story and length of the game really detracted from it and stopped it from being a true 8 out of 10 great for me and had it settle at around 7.5. But what really carried me through the ending are the art direction, which is immaculate, extremely unique, and really well done. It gets better as it goes on, and it already starts at excellent, and it just keeps getting better. Like I just said, the combat is very Arkham inspired, and it gives you new abilities every single chapter, so I'd really like to see a horde mode or new game. Plus, some of the boss fights were really tough. Like, I had to lean forward for some of the boss fights, and I wasn't expecting to have to do that.

[00:14:08]The soundtrack is also great and the platforming, like I mentioned, is pretty dang fun. So, overall, I recommend it.

[00:14:14]Especially if you love cyberpunk stuff.

[00:14:16]If you're into 80s aesthetic and cool synth music, I think this is a no-brainer. I think it's worth the cost of entry, especially on the Steam Deck.

[00:14:24]And I like that they patched in the ability to get rid of the letter boxing and fill out the 16x10 screen. So, like, yeah, it's on the verge of great, which is frustrating, but ultimately it was pretty good, and I'm glad I played it.

[00:14:35]And then real quick for the new viewers, I'm gonna answer a couple questions you guys have had recently. First of all, my name is Jimmy Champagne. I moved the camera to show you. This is the parking sign for my dad's store that is long since closed. It was called Champagne's Wine Sellers. And if you notice, commenters who regularly call me Jimmy Champagne should also pay attention. See right there? No G. There's no G in Champagne. It's C H A M P A N E. It's my actual name, James Champagne. But I go by Jimmy. And then the second question I get a lot is what does shape on mean? Uh it's a reference to my first channel, Jimmy Champagne, where I covered horror movies like Halloween, Halloween Kills, Halloween Ends, Scream, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, uh The Devil's Rejects, you know, slasher movies. And then I had to stop making videos because they don't make those anymore. And I am not really interested in Depression Quest, Trauma Allegory, horror movies. So thankfully Steam Deck came out and I started this channel. The one guy commented shape on because Michael Myers is referenced as the shape in the credits of Halloween 1978. So, I thought it was a cool comment. I just started saying it at the end of those videos. I've been doing this for like almost 10 years and it's hard to change up my intro. So, when I started Deck Ready, I just kept saying shape on at the end of the videos. There's no mystery anymore. I hope the people who are asking recently watch till the end of the video. And finally, big shout out to you guys for commenting all that nice stuff on the Nerd Nest podcast because now I'm gonna be on the Nerd Nest podcast more. You guys have been asking.

[00:16:03]I did it last week. I did it the week before. I'll be on it this week. And I'm just going to keep doing it until Bill says, "Get the hell out of here, Jimmy.

[00:16:10]Scram. Don't come back to this podcast now." But he hasn't said that yet. So, for the foreseeable future, I'm just going to keep uh saying I'll be there when Bill asks in our Discord who's going to be on the show that week until he checks me. Anyway guys, that's all I've got for you in this one. As always, my name is Jimmy Champagne. I'll see you in the next one.