Featured Image Credit: Santa Monica Studio
Like everything in today's society, the video game industry appears to be getting more expensive by the day. We've got to admit that today's games continue to blow our minds in terms of graphics, story, and scope, while the upcoming GTA 6 is poised to blow the rest of the competition out of the water.
Still, that comes at a premium, as those rumors of a $100 price tag look more likely than ever – that's before you get to spending $230 on a collector's edition. Much like we're told to brace for a potential $1,300 iPhone 18 Pro Max, the reveal of the Steam Machine price tag has our bank balances moaning in agony when it comes to the future of gaming.
Valve's Steam Machine is officially on the way, and although it's pitched as a premium mini-PC that combines the specs of a traditional PC with the convenience of a home console, that luxury will cost you.
The Steam Machine will be available in both 512GB and 2TB versions, priced at $1,049 and $1,349, respectively.
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In a blog post explaining why the Steam Machine is costing more than Valve originally envisioned, the company reiterated: "The price at which we sell our hardware is a direct result of the cost of these components."
Despite citing its own expertise in how much PC components cost, Valve admitted that the recent boom in demand for AI has driven up prices, adding: "Over the past year or so, that has changed quickly and significantly, most visibly for RAM and storage components.
“There are a variety of reasons, all of which are affecting hardware products everywhere. The overall effect is that our original goal for the price of Steam Machine is no longer viable."
It's a story we've heard a million times before, with gaming companies and the wider tech world unfortunately passing those prices down to consumers.
$1,000 for a gaming console is out of the question. We can't afford that. They have a bad habit of selling us new products with fewer features. They've removed disc drives, sold us license keys, and have been stripping away backward compatibility since the PS3.
— Mute Quokka (@mutequokka) June 23, 2026
Gamers recently balked at the rumored price of Xbox's next-gen Project Helix, with it tipped to come anywhere between $900 and $1,200. With Valve accused of kicking off a whole new console war in terms of prices, those on the Blue Team are already quaking in their boots. The fact the Steam Machine is twice the price of a PS5 might offer some solace that Sony surely won't allow prices to leap by that much for the next PlayStation, but others aren't so sure.
Let's also remember that the Steam Machine is said to perform similarly to the base PS5 console, meaning the mythical PS6 will be a considerable improvement over this.
Things spilled over onto X, where there was a fierce debate and plenty of speculation about what the PS6 could cost.
One person wrote: "The Pro is currently 950 with tax there is no way the PS6 launch anything less than that especially with how Asha [Xbox boss Asha Sharma] projected next year will be 5x increase in hardware that'll affect PlayStation too even Apple raised prices on the iPhone."
Another mused: "Some of us will still buy it regardless. People were paying over $1000 for the PS5 upon is release. Scalpers!"
A third said: "Home consoles for $1000?!, it'll be the beginning of the end for Home consoles, it just defeats the purpose to buy consoles anymore, no exclusives would be worth bottlenecking dexterity for an Uncharted, Last Of Us, Mario-nated, or Halo-nised future, it's a no brainer."
On the other side of the coin, there's a sliver of hope that Sony will reconsider. Remember that the gaming giant confirmed PS5 sales were down 46% year-on-year after it hiked prices to $649.99. That made the PS5 a mind-boggling $150 more than when the console launched in 2020, so just imagine the fallout of trying to charge us more than $1,000 for the PS6.
There's no word on when the PS6 will release, and if we somehow manage to bring down the price of RAM, we could be in luck. Others have pointed out Sony can shift at a scale Valve can only dream of, so let's wait a little before writing our angry placards.
