The console market feels stuck. Microsoft gives little care to Xbox hardware, and Nintendo keeps a closed ecosystem. Sony sits on top, which gives the brand room for risky moves, like an expensive refresh of the same console. That’s where Valve enters the scene, with a clear goal to fight Xbox and PlayStation. A full decade after the first Steam Machines hit stores, Valve brings the Steam Machine back.
Design
The Steam Machine sets the tone with scale first. Its 6-inch cube shape slides under a TV or sits on a desk without crowding the space. The size keeps attention on play, not on the box itself.
By contrast, Sony pushes a tall and wide form at 15.4″ L x 4.1″ W x 10.2″ H, which turns the PS5 into a visual anchor in any room. The PS5 Slim cuts that down to 14.1″ L x 3.8″ W x 8.5″ H, yet it still dwarfs the Steam Machine and asks for shelf space.
Sony PlayStation 5 Slim
Digital edition console
Performance
The Steam Deck beats the Switch on power, but it cannot match the PS5. Don’t get me wrong, the Deck still brings clear perks. A single game library follows you from handheld to PC, saves and all. However, if you want big budget titles on a TV, the PS5 stays the simple pick. The Steam Machine fills that gap. Valve brings the Deck vision to the TV with far more power inside.
Inside the box, the Steam Machine runs 2 AMD chips and 16 GB of DDR5 RAM. A 6-core Zen 4 CPU hits up to 4.8 GHz with 30 watts on tap. Graphics come from an RDNA 3 Navi 33 GPU with 28 compute units, a 130-watt cap, and 8 GB of GDDR6 memory. These parts feel rare for a game PC, yet the combo makes sense.
Release date and price
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The Steam Machine and the Steam Controller will hit stores in the first part of 2026. Valve will share price details and launch timing in a future update.
By the way, Valve talked about the Steam Machine in mid-November last year but skipped price and launch plans. That timing lined up with rising RAM and storage costs, driven by shortages tied to AI demand for memory. AI firms buy huge amounts of DRAM for data centers, and memory makers put them first. That pressure may push PC brands to trim features and drive console prices up. So let’s watch how Valve deals with the RAM crunch.
I worry we might see higher prices than expected, especially after Valve’s recent update:
When we announced these products in November, we planned on being able to share specific pricing and launch dates by now. But the memory and storage shortages you’ve likely heard about across the industry have rapidly increased since then. The limited availability and growing prices of these critical components mean we must revisit our exact shipping schedule and pricing (especially around Steam Machine and Steam Frame).
With memory costs spiraling, I don’t see the Steam Machine landing under $1,000. Sony and Microsoft keep console prices lower because they design their systems from the start to be cheap to manufacture. Big companies can fight higher RAM prices with strategies most smaller brands can’t. Lenovo, for example, stockpiles memory to stay ahead. Valve doesn’t have that scale. I expect the Steam Machine to start around $999 for the 512 GB model and $1,500 for the 2 TB version.
Related: RAM shortage 2026: How Lenovo, HP, Dell, Apple, and other PC makers face rising costs
Parting thoughts
The Steam Machine isn’t just a handheld port on a TV—it feels like a serious alternative to the usual suspects. That said, I worry about the price; $1,000-plus isn’t casual-console territory. Still, for anyone who loves the Steam ecosystem and wants PC-level power without building a rig, this could be the perfect fit. I can’t wait to see how it performs once it finally hits stores.