Steam Machine announcement 'is getting closer' according to reports

It might not be Half-Life 3, but nonetheless, Valve-land is awash with rumours, leaks and early reviews, which have sent the internet at large into a tizzy over a potential Steam Machine announcement, which may be closer than we expect if reports are to be believed.

Certainly, it appears the Steam Controller launch may be imminent, as, in something of an oopsie, early reviews revealed the potential price and release date.

But, if the Steam Controller is coming, what is happening with the Steam Machine?

Alongside the Steam Controller, the Steam machine and Steam Frame received store pages on the Komodo Station website, which is the official retailer of Valve products in Asia.

As noted by VR enthusiast Brad Lynch on X (formerly Twitter), only the Steam Controller received new web assets.

Valve has already delayed the Steam Machine and Steam Frame owing to the memory pricing crisis dubbed ‘RAMageddon’, as revealed in the Steam hardware FAQ, but according to Mike Straw of Insider Gaming, Valve may opt to eat some of the costs in order to get the PC-console hybrid out the door.

In a news piece about the Steam Controller reviews going live early, Mike Straw said, "I’m to understand that Valve is getting closer to confirming everything. They’ve been going back and forth internally on pricing and whether they would be willing to take a loss on the cost, at least in the short term," adding that "It’s unclear what decision has been made, but the internal belief is that an announcement on a release is getting closer."

In the run-up to the launch of the Steam Deck, Valve CEO Gabe Newell described getting the base model to £349/$359 as "painful", but it was never clear if it was at a loss, cost, or had the teeniest of margins.

There is a real risk of selling the Steam Machine at a loss, however, as scalpers could buy them to strip them of components, or businesses could buy them and deploy them as relatively cheap enterprise computers.

For the Steam Deck, Valve employed a reservation system that was tied to your account, and it cost money to reserve, though this cost was assimilated into the final price of the Steam Deck. This was likely implemented due to the supply constraints brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

We'll likely see Valve employ this again in order to avoid scalpers, so if you want a Steam Machine, you should be able to get your hands on one, though you may have to wait a while depending on where in the reservation queue you are.

Should we hear of any new rumours, or an official announcement, we will update you as soon as possible!

Read more:

• Valve reveals new Steam hardware — All Steam ahead!
• Steam Machine release date — All we know about the 'GabeCube'
• Steam Frame release date — Virtual (Reality) Insanity
• Steam Controller release date — When can we go hands-on?
• Steam Deck 2 release date — When is it coming?
• Steam Deck OLED review — Is it still worth it?
• Why you should buy a Steam Deck in 2026: When it's in stock, that is...
• Steam Controller reactions — Devs praise 'Mac-like' trackpads
• Steam Hardware FAQ — Valve delays the inevitable
• Steam Frame verification program — Can it run Crysis?
• Steam Frame reactions — Devs love it
• Steam Machine price — 'RAMageddon' has done a number

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