Valve has opened pre orders for its new steam machine desktop, offering two storage configurations and a randomized queue system aimed at managing strong demand.
The base hardware includes an AMD Zen 4 hexacore CPU, 16 GB of DDR5 main memory plus 8 GB of GDDR6 VRAM, and a microSD slot for extra storage.
Customers can choose a 512 GB SSD model or a 2 TB SSD model, and Valve offers optional bundles that add the company’s Steam Controller.
Pricing in US dollars is listed as follows, with regional pricing provided on the store page: Steam Machine 512GB $1,049, bundle with controller $1,128, Steam Machine 2TB $1,349, and 2TB bundle $1,428.
Valve said it will place pre orders into separate queues for North America, Europe including the UK, and Australia, and it will allocate positions by automated random selection.
The company set a deadline for reservation entries of Thursday, June 25, and noted that exact production quantities have not been disclosed.
Reactions, Software Details And Market Context
The steam machine announcement prompted a large online debate, with more than 2,700 Reddit comments and widespread criticism about the device’s high price and the Steam Controller not being included as standard.
Commenters argued the 512 GB drive is likely small given current AAA game storage demands, and noted that comparable gaming PCs are available from around $900, as reported by commentators.
Early benchmark reports shared in the discussion suggested the device performs worse than the PlayStation 5 Pro, which some said costs roughly half as much as larger Steam Machine configurations with a controller.
Valve also released SteamOS 3.8, an Arch based distribution that uses dual immutable Btrfs root partitions with automatic rollback, runs KDE Plasma 6.4.3 by default on Wayland, and still offers X11 via developer settings or the steamosctl command.
SteamOS 3.8 now permits installation on user hardware that uses an AMD GPU, with Nvidia support planned, and installation notes state an 8 GB USB key, UEFI firmware, and Secure Boot disabled are required.
The OS’s partitioning scheme does not support dual boot and will erase existing operating systems, prompting advice to use a second drive and to disconnect other drives during installation.
Industry analysts estimate Valve’s annual operating profit at about $2 billion to $3 billion, most of it from Steam, and a report in Robb Report noted that Gabe Newell recently ordered another €700 million yacht, illustrating the company’s financial strength.
