Valve’s Steam Deck was a major success, but it had some significant launch problems that the Steam Machine is apparently prepared to address. While the Steam Machine is Valve’s second attempt at a pre-built, living room-friendly PC, it’s also a less direct successor to the Steam Deck, the company’s first true hardware win. As a home device, the Steam Machine will be more powerful than the Steam Deck, but that shouldn’t be the only improvement.
According to Eurogamer, Valve has improved its distribution since the launch of the Steam Deck, hopefully making the Steam Machine easier to acquire across regions. Valve PR rep Kaci Aitchison Boyle said that the Steam Machine will stick to the same distribution model, but claims that Valve has been working on improving the logistics “in the background.” Boyle cites last year’s addition of regions like Australia as one major improvement and notes that the experience of buying products on the West Coast “is quite a bit better than it was a few years ago.”
Valve Confirmed It’s Making Key Improvements
Steam’s focus on a direct distribution model means that you won’t find Steam Decks in physical stores, and it sounds like the same scheme is set in place for the Steam Machine. As long as the company can ensure a continuous supply, however, this might not be a huge limitation. Hopefully, Valve will continue to expand regional availability, as the direct distribution model can still be a significant barrier for regions that Valve doesn’t ship to.
Direct distribution also doesn’t mean that the Steam Machine will never go on sale, as the Deck and other products like the original Steam Controller have received discounts in the past. Theoretically, it could also lead to a lower MSRP, as Valve can streamline distribution and avoid letting retailers take a cut.
The Steam Machine Won’t Come Cheap, Though
That being said, it doesn’t look like the Steam Machine will be as affordable as the Deck. In a conversation with Linus Tech Tips, Valve suggested that the price will be more competitive with gaming PCs than consoles. The details are still unclear, but that sounds more like $800 than $500, which could be a major turn-off for potential buyers.
Hopefully, Valve will find a way to bring the pricing closer to the baseline of current consoles, as it’s hard to imagine a PC with its specs seriously competing with the PS5 Pro or custom-built gaming PCs in performance. If it turns out to be expensive, though, there’s one upside. As long as the Steam Machine is warming warehouse shelves, the distribution should be even easier to manage.