Linus Tech Tips has talked to Valve about the price of the Steam Machine. However, the reaction was not what Linus had hoped for.
The channel Linus Tech Tips is one of the most well-known YouTubers in the tech field. In a recent podcast on YouTube, Linus Sebastian explained that he was invited by Valve to check out the new Steam hardware.
In his podcast, he explained that the announcement of the new Steam hardware was totally surprising for many. However, he considers the new hardware to be one of the best presentations since the RTX 3000 series, aside from the pricing issues. But he is not so happy with one other thing. When he asks Valve about the price of the Steam Machine, the answer is not as expected.
Linus hopes for a Steam Machine for $500, but Valve is likely of a different opinion
This is how Valve responds to the cost question: Linus explained in the podcast that he himself hoped the Steam Machine would not cost more than a gaming console. Price-wise, he probably thought of the PS5 and Xbox, which both cost around 500 euros. However, Valve reacts to his question as follows:
I can’t tell you how much the price will be, because I really don’t know. When I said I was disappointed that it wouldn’t follow the pricing model of a console, where the costs are covered by the manufacturer taking 30% of every game sold over the entire lifespan of the device, because I believe this would be a more sensible product, they asked me what I meant by console price, and I said 500 dollars. No one said anything, but the mood in the room was not very good.
That’s not a proper answer, but the reaction is clearly visible for Linus. The price for the Steam Machine is likely to be significantly above the hoped-for $500. Already with the Steam Deck, Valve described the price as painful.
Linus’s argument is quite understandable, as this has been practiced by console manufacturers for a long time: hardware is sold below its value because the manufacturer hopes to recoup losses through digital sales.
Many players now find PC gaming too expensive and are demanding an alternative. The Steam Machine could reach thousands of players here if the price is right in the end. But this time the chances look good for the Steam Machine: The Steam Machine could become the best choice for many players and a serious problem for AMD and Nvidia.
