The Potential Price of Steam Machines Without AI’s Disruptions

The Steam Machine is hitting wallets hard, with the base model priced over $1000, and that number climbs even higher if you want extra storage or a Steam controller. If that price tag has you reeling, you can thank the ongoing RAM crisis fueled by the AI boom, which has likely added around $250 to the cost.

This insight comes from a blend of reviews and interviews that surfaced when Valve announced the Steam Machine’s price and opened pre-orders. In those discussions, Valve revealed that the price hike for the Steam Machine mirrors the recent increase for the Steam Deck, which jumped from $550 to $790, or from $650 to $950 for the 1TB version. Crunching the numbers suggests that the Steam Machine would have been around $750 before this price surge.

It’s a tough pill to swallow, but this situation is largely due to the AI industry’s insatiable demand for memory. The rush to expand AI data centers has consumed a significant portion of the available RAM supply, driving up prices for the remaining stock and impacting everyone, including gaming hardware makers. This cost inevitably trickles down to consumers, as we’ve seen with price hikes not just for Valve’s products but across all major console manufacturers. Analysts predict that we may face even more price increases in the coming years until chip manufacturing capacity improves.

While over $1000 is steep for what is essentially a high-end PC rather than a traditional gaming console, it’s worth noting that given the current market for gaming PCs and components, it might not be the worst deal if you’re in the market. Pre-orders for the Steam Machine will be available until Thursday morning. You’re in a tough spot whether you buy now at this inflated price or wait, as it’s likely to climb even higher later on.