Valve Restricts Steam Machine Reservations to Pre-April 27 Buyers as 4 Models Emerge
Updated
Updated · Gizmodo · May 11
Valve Restricts Steam Machine Reservations to Pre-April 27 Buyers as 4 Models Emerge
10 articles · Updated · Gizmodo · May 11
Valve is tying Steam Machine and Steam Frame reservations to active Steam accounts that bought something before April 27, extending anti-scalper rules already used for the Steam Controller.
72-hour purchase windows and a one-per-customer limit on the controller offer a template for the new hardware after the controller sold out in under an hour and quickly appeared on resale sites for $200 to $300.
SteamTracking code points to four Steam Machine variants—likely 512GB and 2TB SSD versions with or without a controller—and two Steam Frame headset models with 256GB and 1TB storage.
Valve still has not announced pricing or a launch date, though the hardware is expected this year and the company has said the Steam Machine will cost about as much as an equivalent PC.
Is Valve's real goal to sell consoles, or to use its new hardware to finally break Windows' monopoly on PC gaming?
As component costs force its price to $799, has Valve's console killer already priced itself out of the fight against PlayStation?
Is Sony's retreat from PC gaming a sign of the Steam Machine's threat, or proof the PC market was never profitable enough?