Valve says lower Steam Machine prices are possible but not imminent
Valve engineers indicated the company would reduce the Steam Machine’s cost if component prices fall, but they do not expect such a price cut to happen soon.
Valve announced a $1,049 price for its Steam Machine, higher than the $718 target the company had originally envisioned. Engineers Pierre-Loup Griffais and Yazan Aldehayyat told Digital Foundry that while the company would lower the hardware’s price once component costs decline, they do not anticipate this occurring in the near term.
"There's no point for us to keep hardware at a high price. It's meant to be an enabler of a stronger connection between people and their games, and not something that we're trying to sell to people for other reasons... [For us], the cheaper the better," said Griffais.
"It's obviously hard to predict the future, but we're not optimistic it's going to happen any time soon. Other people in this industry have said as much," Aldehayyat added.
Aldehayyat noted that while a more affordable Steam Machine would broaden its audience, the company cannot promise a near-term price reduction, citing ongoing supply-chain constraints and long-term component cost trends.